TAMPA, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team picked up its second straight road win on Saturday, topping the University of Tampa 57-49 at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. The win was also the Eagles' fourth against a Sunshine State Conference opponent and improved their overall record to 6-2.

"Tampa is great program, so I'm really happy to see our team execute the game plan and get a win on the road like this," ERAU Head Coach Lis Nuxol-WIlson commented. "Our defense was really strong tonight and we were able to hit shots against their zone. They made some runs but we were able to stay focused and composed and hold the lead down the stretch. We need to do a better job from the free throw line and be consistent there, but overall we are really proud of the whole team for working together and getting two road wins this week!"  
 
Saturday's game was a tale of two halves for the Eagles. All of the ERAU's first half field goals were three-pointers, but the in the second half, they utilized the inside game to get the job done.
 
The Eagles had three players score in double digits, led by Mercedes Jorge who scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 outing from long range. Sabrina Whiting, who dished out five assists, and Lauren Ellenberger each had 10 points, while Sigrid Sandstrom contributed eight points, seven boards and two assists.
 
Ellenberger got the scoring started for the Eagles with a thee-pointer that gave the visitors a 3-2 lead, but a Morgan Lumb layup keyed an 11-2 run that put the Spartans back in front 13-5. At the 3:47 mark Ellenberger hit another three and Jorge followed suit on the Eagles' next possession to pull the Eagles within two, 13-11. The Spartans were able to widen the gap slightly, but the Eagles drained two more threes to make it even at 17-17 at the end of the first.
 
The offense cooled considerably for both teams in the second quarter as ERAU and Tampa combined for just five made baskets in a frame that saw the Spartans edge the Eagles 9-6 to take 26-23 advantage into the halftime break.
 
The Blue and Gold scored the first four points of the third quarter to move ahead 27-26, but he Spartans were able to reclaim the lead quickly and at the 3:58 mark, Karma Jeremie knocked down a pair of free throws and made it 34-31 in favor of the home team.
 
The Eagles had an answer, however, and over the final 2:16 of the period, ERAU outscored Tampa 6-2 and took a 38-36 edged into the final frame.
 
Jorge, who scored nine of her 17 points in the third, continued that form to start the fourth quarter and hit back-to-back treys to extend the Eagle lead to 45-38. From that point, the visitors did not look back. The Spartans were able to get within three points (45-42) of the Eagles midway through the quarter, but ERAU shot 75 percent from the field, while the defense limited Tampa to just four made baskets in the final 10 minutes of action to come away with the win.
 
Lumb and Jeremie paced the Spartan offense with 15 and 10 points, respectively, as Tampa fell to 5-3 with the loss.
 
Embry-Riddle will be back in action on Dec. 9 when they host Palm Beach Atlantic at the ICI Center. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.