FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team was unable to bounce back from a slow start on Saturday, falling to Nova Southeastern 70-57 at the Sharks' Rick Case Arena. The loss was the fourth for the Blue and Gold in the Sunshine State Conference and put the Eagles at 16-5 overall and 10-4 in league play.
Sabrina Whiting was the leading scorer for the Eagles with 15 points.
Tara Fields added 10 points, and
Sigrid Sandstrom and
Ashley McWilliams tallied nine points each.
The Sharks had five individuals score in double figures as NSU evened its record at 10-10 and improved to 6-8 in the SSC. Alison Hughes led all players with 23 points, including a 16-point output in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles were out of sync to start Saturday's contest, scoring just two points in the first four minutes of play. They were also plagued by miscues as they turned the ball over seven times and at the end of the first 10 minutes, the Sharks, who were 6-of-13 from the field, held a 16-11 lead.
The second quarter saw the Eagles go seven and a half minutes without a field goal. At the 2:33 mark, Sandstrom drilled her first three of the game and Fields followed with a layup to pull the Eagles within eight (25-17), but the Sharks closed out the period on an 8-0 run and took a 33-17 lead into the locker room at the half.
The ERAU defense held NSU to just two points in the first five minutes of the third, but the Eagles were unable to capitalize on their chances on the offensive end of the floor. The Sharks rebounded late in the quarter to match the Eagles' 12-point output in the frame and maintained their 16-point (45-29) advantage heading into the fourth.
The final stanza saw the Blue and Gold score 28 points, just one less than the three previous quarters combined. But the Sharks' offense was just as prolific, as they tallied 25 fourth-quarter points to seal the win.
"Nova played a great game today," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson commented. "They outworked us and earned the win in just about every category. We played better in the second half, but dug a hole that Nova did not let us out of. I'm proud of our team for fighting until the end, but we need to be ready and bring the fight from the tip."
The Eagles will look to rally from the loss when they return to south Florida for a 5:30 p.m. tip against Barry on Wednesday.
