ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A career scoring night by senior Mercedes Jorge propelled the Embry-Riddle women's basketball team to a 78-65 road win over Flagler (0-1) on Saturday. Jorge tallied 30 points, 25 of which came in the first 20 minutes of play, as the Blue and Gold improved to 2-0 on the year.
 
In addition to being the game's leading scorer, Jorge also led all players on the boards with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Sigrid Sandstrom and Lauren Ellenberger each had seven rebounds, with Sandstrom contributing 13 points and Ellenberger dishing out six assists.
 
Playing on back-to-back nights, the Eagles got off to a slow start on Saturday and trailed 21-14 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Saints led by as many as nine points early in the second frame, but the Eagles, who were 58.8 percent (10-17) from the field in the quarter, steadily chipped away at the lead and at the 3:58 mark, a Jorge trey narrowed the gap to just one point (30-29).
 
The Eagles took over the lead briefly (32-31) when Jorge added three more points on a bucket and a free throw, but a Maggie Lynn three put the Saints back in front on the next possession.
 
The final 3:17 of the first half saw ERAU go on a 9-2 run and the visitors took a 41-35 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
 
The Embry-Riddle advantage remained at seven points until a Jorge layup just under four minutes into the third period sparked an 11-1 Eagle run that widened the gap to 16 (57-41). The quarter was punctuated by a five-point burst from Jessica Savage in the last 37 seconds that sent the Eagles into the final quarter with a 64-44 lead.
 
The Eagles led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter, but their shooting from the field cooled to just 28.8 percent (4-14). The Saints were able to outscore the Eagles 21-14 in the final 10 minutes, but it was not enough to catch the Blue and Gold who left the Flagler Gymnasium with the 13-point victory.
 
"This was a great test for us mentally and physically," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson said. "Flagler is a really good program with some great players who are very hard to guard. I was proud of our girls for their total team effort defensively. We also stayed composed against their pressure and speed and executed better tonight. I'm really happy with how we valued possessions and took care of the ball."
 
The Eagles return to the ICI Center at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday to host Sunshine State Conference foe Rollins.