ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team suffered a tough loss on the road on Wednesday, falling to Eckerd 65-46 at the Tritons' McArthur Center. The loss, the Eagles' second against Sunshine State Conference competition, puts ERAU at 13-5, while Eckerd improved to 16-3.
 
Tara Fields was the only player in double figures for the Blue and Gold as she finished with 12 points, followed by Sigrid Sandstrom with nine and Sabrina Whiting with seven points to go with five rebounds.
 
When the teams met earlier in the season (Nov. 19), the Eagles recorded their highest turnover total of the season (25). But while the Eagles were able to come away with a win on that night, miscues proved to be their undoing in Wednesday's game as their 22 turnovers resulted in 13 points for Eckerd.
 
The Eagles got off to a strong start as six points each by Laniere Coleman and Sigrid Sandstrom propelled the Blue and Gold to an 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. ERAU scored its last field goal of the first quarter with 3:38 left in the period and from that point, the offense went cold, not scoring again until the 5:46 mark of the second frame. The Tritons capitalized on the Eagles' offensive struggles, outscoring the visitors 20-8 in the period to take a 33-26 lead into the break.
 
The Tritons continued to pour on the offense in the third, shooting 60 percent (9-of-15) from the field to widen the gap to 16 points, 53-37. The Blue and Gold scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to pull within 12 (53-41), but Eckerd bested the Eagles 12-5 over the final five minutes of the game to secure the win.
 
"Eckerd is a very good team and they are undefeated at home for a reason," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson commented. "They played well tonight and we didn't come ready to play for four quarters. This game definitely exposed some things we didn't do well tonight. I thought the girls fought hard but at the end of the day, we have to take care of the ball and make the necessary adjustments. We have a good team and they will bounce back and be ready next game."
 
The Eagles will play the second of a three-game road swing on Saturday when they travel to Boca Raton to take on Lynn. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.