DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Embry-Riddle women's basketball made it a close game late after trailing by as many as 20 points, but the Eagles were unable to get by Eckerd, falling to the Tritons, 72-67, Wednesday at the ICI Center. The Eagles rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Tritons earlier in the season, but they were unable to find that same magic in Wednesday's game. Both teams have identical 18-6 overall and 12-5 conference ledgers and are now tied for second place in the Sunshine State Conference standings.

The game was close to start as both teams made six field goals in the first quarter, but a three-pointer and a free throw were the difference in an early 15-13 Eckerd lead.

The second frame saw the Tritons best the Eagles 10-5 on the boards and that resulted in seven second chance points that widened the gap to five (21-16) at the half.

At the 7:37 mark of the third period, Tara Fields knocked down a jumper in the paint, but the Tritons answered with a 13-2 run, and with 3:30 left in the frame, the lead was up to 20 (53-33). The Eagles made a run of their own late in the quarter, but heading into the fourth, the home team still trailed by double-digits (55-44).

The first basket of the final 10 minutes of play came in the form of an Ashley McWilliams three-pointer. Following a Kacie Juday layup, Sabrina Whiting scored three points of her own on a layup and a free throw and after both sides traded baskets, Lauren Ellenberger drained a three to make it a six-point (61-55) game. The Tritons managed to go back up by 11 (66-55), but back-to-back treys by Ellenberger and McWilliams cut the Eckerd lead to 66-6 with 2:03 left to play.

On Eckerd's next trip down the court, Ada Yalcin came up empty on a three-point attempts. Nikki Tucker grabbed the rebound and found Ashley McWilliams who was fouled on her way to the basket. The senior converted on both free throw attempts, and with the clock showing 1:27 the Tritons' lead was a single point (66-65).

The final 59 seconds of play saw the Eagles struggle to finish layup attempts and despite pulling down four offensive rebounds, they managed just one field goal and the Tritons went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to come away with the win.

Fields and Ellenberger finished with 15 points and three rebounds apiece, while McWilliams added 13 points and three boards of her own.

Chelsea Johnson had a game-high 18 points for Eckerd with Juday tallying 15 points and a game-high nine boards.

The Eagles will be on the road for their next two games, beginning with a 2 p.m. tip at Tampa on Saturday.