DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team registered a decisive 79-48 victory over Converse in the opening game of the 2016 Bahama House Classic on Friday. Playing at an unaccustomed 11 a.m. start time, the Eagles had little trouble dispatching the Valkyries, improving to 8-2 on the year.
 
For the second time this season Tara Fields improved on her single-game scoring personal best, tallying 15 points off the bench to lead the Eagle offense. Sabrina Whiting had a solid all-around game with 12 points, seven boards and eight assists, while Mercedes Jorge chipped in 10 points and six assists.
 
The Eagles did the majority of their damage in the first and third quarters, scoring 25 and 22 points, respectively, in those frames. The bench proved to be productive for ERAU, contributing to 41 points to the win.
 
The Eagles overcame a slow start on Friday, going scoreless over the first three minutes of play. Mercedes Jorge finally ended the scoring drought with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 6:57 mark and from that point the Blue and Gold dominated the offense. Jorge's basket sparked an 18-3 run and at the end of the first quarter, ERAU, shooting 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the field, led the Valkyries 25-9.
 
In the second frame, the Eagles only managed to shoot 27.8 percent from the field, but the defense held the Valkyries to just one field goal in the period and ERAU led 40-18 at the half.
 
The third period saw the Eagles' shooting heat up once again as they were 60 percent (9-of-15) from the field, including a 3-for-6 clip from beyond the arc. The Eagle defense held Converse scoreless for four minutes in the quarter while opening up a 36-point advantage.
 
The Valkyries outscored the Eagles 20-17 in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too great for the visitors to overcome as they fell to 1-6 on the year with the loss.
 
"I'm glad we could get the win and make the Education Day game a good one for the students that came!" ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson stated. "The kids were full of energy and it was a lot of fun for our girls to play for them. It was good to get that first game after final exams over with and end up with a win. We have a tough match up tomorrow and we will need to play with a lot more intensity and focus. But always happy to get a win after final exams." 
 
The Eagles will wrap up tournament play on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they take on Texas Woman's University.