DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team opened its second season of competition with a convincing 76-28 win over former Sun Conference foe Ave Maria (2-2), Saturday at the ICI Center.
 
Sabrina Whiting and Taylor Cyphers were the leading scorers for the Eagles, tallying 12 points apiece. Whiting and Mercedes Jorge led the team in rebounding with seven boards apiece as the defense limited the Lady Gyrenes to just 12 made field goals on the afternoon.
 
The visitors scored the first basket of the afternoon courtesy of an Annie Arties jumper, but that was Ave Maria's only lead of the game as layups by  Jorge and freshman Lauren Ellenberger gave the Eagles a lead that they never relinquished. Artise scored again with 5:41 left in the first quarter to make the score 8-4 in favor of the Blue and Gold, but ERAU went on a 14-2 run to take a 24-6 lead into the second period.
 
The Eagle defense continued to stifle Ave Maria in the second quarter, holding the Lady Gyrenes to just eight points. On the offensive end, the Eagles shot a blistering 62.5 percent (10-16) from the field to widen the gap to 45-14 at the half.
 
ERAU's offense cooled slightly in the second half as they scored 14 and 17 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, but the fast start was more than enough to give the Blue and Gold their second straight season-opening victory.
 
The Eagles will be back in action at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday when they host fellow Sunshine State Conference provisional member Palm Beach Atlantic at the ICI Center.