ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team closed out its first tournament of 2017-18 with a perfect 2-0 record after downing West Alabama 59-45 in the South Region Crossover tournament hosted by Eckerd on Saturday. The Eagles improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Tigers moved to 0-2
Freshman
Nicole Tucker recorded her first career double-double and the Eagles' first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds in only her second game wearing the Blue and Gold.
Tara Fields finished with a game-high 14 points and nine rebounds, and
Sabrina Whiting added 11 points to the Eagles' tally.
The Eagles struggled to shoot the basketball in the first quarter, managing just 16.7 percent shooting from the field. Tucker scored the Eagles' first points of the game at the 8:55 mark, but ERAU didn't score from the field again until Tucker's second trey six minutes later. Tucker's basket made it a two-point (9-7) game in favor of the Tigers and a Whiting three followed by a pair of Marissa Koopman free throws gave ERAU a slim one-point lead at the end of the first period.
The Eagles came out firing to start the second period and a 9-2 run in the first three minutes resulted in an eight-point (21-13) Eagle lead. With the exception of three free throws and a jumper, all by Fields, the Eagle offense went cold during the remainder of the quarter. The Eagles managed one more three-pointer and two more free throws than the Tigers in the second quarter and that translated into a three-point (26-23) edge at the half.
After outscoring the Tigers 17-10 to lead 43-33 at the end of the third, the Eagles got another three from Tucker to make it a 13-point game at the start of the fourth quarter. At the 7:42 mark, Ashley McWiliams found
Lauren Ellenberger for two points on a fast break. Ellenberger returned the favor after a Fields rebound just seconds later and McWilliams' fast break layup gave ERAU a 15-point cushion. From that point, the Eagles never looked back and built the lead to 16 (59-43) on a Tucker layup en route to the 14-point win.
"I am very proud of our team for the way they played today and for being able to pick up two wins on the road against tough regional teams," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson said. "Today, we needed to take care of the ball, rebound well and defend, and I feel like we did that against a very physical, aggressive team. We didn't shoot the ball well or finish plays around the basket, but our defense and hard work on the boards made up for it.
"Our energy on the bench and on the floor and the genuine support for each other the whole game is amazing. Our bench was a big key for us today!"
The Eagles will play their first game as a full member of the Sunshine State Conference on Wednesday when they travel to West Palm Beach to face fellow league newcomer Palm Beach Atlantic. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
