SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team turned in its most dominant performance of the season on Wednesday, earning a 68-50 road win against Saint Leo. Now 4-10 on the year, the Eagle offense shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) for the game, while the defense held the host Lions (4-12) to just 21.4 percent (15-of-70).
For the fourth straight game
Sabrina Whiting topped the Eagles' charts and was the game's high scorer. The sophomore was 5-of-13 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe on the way to a 20-point, five-assist, four-rebound night.
Mercedes Jorge registered a double-double with 10 points and 14 boards.
After a slow start that saw the Blue and Gold turn the ball over three times and miss their first two shots, the Eagles were able to settle down and after a Whiting trey tied the game at 5-5, ERAU went on a 6-2 run to stake a 12-8 lead at the end of the first period.
That margin swelled to 10 (24-14) at the half as the Eagles held the Lions to just two made baskets in the second period.
The third quarter was where the Eagles did the bulk of their damage and put the game out of the reach. Scoring on five of their first six trips down the court, the Blue and Gold widened the gap to 20 points (34-14) less than four minutes into the period.
The Eagles were effective on both ends of the floor, going 8-of-13 from the field, while the defense held the Lions scoreless for the majority of the period. The Lions' first points in the third came at the four-minute mark on a pair of Chelsey Springs free throws and Saint Leo went more than nine minutes into the period before scoring its first bucket. By the time quarter ended, the Eagle lead had ballooned to 52-25.
Saint Leo was able to improve its offense in the fourth, outscoring ERAU 25-16 in the final 10 minutes, but it was too little too late as the Eagles rolled to their first road win of the year.
"I'm very happy for the team that we were able to get a win tonight," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson said. "They have been working so hard and to beat a good conference team like Saint Leo on the road was big for us. We played some really good defense the first half holding them to 14 points, and we were able to put together a decent offensive showing tonight as well. We need to build on this and continue to work on consistency."
The Eagles will look to carry the momentum of Wednesday's win into Saturday's game against Lynn at the ICI Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
