DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team pulled out an exciting win in the Eagles' season opener on Friday evening, topping Lindenwood (0-1) 66-61 at the ICI Center.
Sabrina Whiting led all scorers with 20 points, including seven of the last nine Eagle points as ERAU secured its third straight season-opening victory to move their record to 1-0.
"I am really proud of our team for fighting until the end and doing what it took down the stretch to get the win," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson said. "Every single player on the roster contributed to this win tonight by how hard they have been pushing each other in practice everyday to prepare us. It's great to see our team chemistry really be such a factor in our ability to compete. We are still a growing program, but I'm really proud of our team. Lindenwood is a very good team; this was a solid win for us."
The Eagles managed just one field goal in the first five possessions of the game, but finished strong in the first quarter, using a 62.5 percent shooting clip from the field to take 23-18 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
Whiting knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to start the second quarter and the Eagle lead ballooned to 11 (29-18) at the 8:20 mark. Another long-range shot by
Lauren Ellenberger widened the margin to 12 points (32-20) with 5:02 left in the second period, but a pair of free throws by Kylie Fergson keyed an 11-0 Lion run that made it a one-point game (32-31).
With six seconds left in the quarter,
Ashley McWilliams knocked down a three-pointer of her own to put the Eagles back ahead by four (35-31) at the half.
The Eagles' shooting cooled considerably in the third quarter as the were just 27.8 (5-18) percent from the field compared to 50 percent (4-8) by Lindenwood, but they managed to edge the Lions 16-14 to take a 51-45 advantage into the final frame.
The first three minutes of the final quarter belonged to the Lions who tied things up at 52-52 on a Lindsay Medlen three. On the next Lion possession, Medlen wend 2-for-3 at the free throw line to give Lindenwood its first lead since the first quarter, and with 4:54 left to play, the visitors led 57-54.
With the Eagles trailing 61-57,
Sigrid Sandstrom got the ball out to Whiting on the left side and Whiting's fourth trey pulled the Eagles within a point (61-60). On the very next Lion possession, Sandstrom came up with a steal that gave the ball back to the Eagles with 1:42 left in the game. Ellenberger missed her three-point attempt, but
Mercedes Jorge grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Whiting who was fouled on her way to the basket. The junior hit both free throws to put the Eagles back in front 64-61 and from that point the Eagles never relinquished the lead.
Defense was key for the Blue and Gold in the down the stretch. In the last two Lion possessions, Whiting swiped the ball from Medlen and after Jorge blocked Kylie Ferguson's shot, Ellenberger threw the ball off a Lion player to get the rebound and secure the Eagle win.
The Eagles will be back on the court on Saturday for their first road game of the season. The Blue and Gold will travel to St. Augustine to take on Flagler at 5 p.m.
