DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team stumbled in its Sunshine State Conference opener on Wednesday, falling to Florida Southern 65-49 at the ICI Center. The loss drops the Blue and Gold to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in league play, while the Lady Moccasins move to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the SSC.
Nikki Tucker finished with 11 points and was the only player in double figures for and Eagle lineup that shot 38.0 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from long range.
Both teams got off to a slow start in Wednesday's game. The Eagles scored the first basket of the game at the 8:55 mark, while the Mocs did not get on the scoreboard until the 7:03 mark. The Eagles led 6-2 early on but missed on six straight shot attempts and committed three turnovers, which allowed FSC to run out to a 14-8 lead, and at the end of the first quarter the visitors led 14-10.
The start of the second period saw the Eagles drain three three-pointers – two by
Shelby Bischoff (8 pts) and one by Tucker – which helped the Eagles reclaim the lead, 19-16. The Eagles remained in front until the 2:42 mark when a Julia Jenike three keyed a 5-0 FSC run that gave the Mocs a 27-23 advantage at the half.
The start of the third quarter saw Florida Southern extend their lead to 10 points (39-29) courtesy of a 12-6 run. The Eagles fought back and with 1:28 left in the half,
Sarah Jones scored on a layup to cut the deficit to just two points (39-37), but on the Mocs' next possession, Jenike hit another trey and with 10 minutes left to play, FSC led 42-38.
Both teams were even from the field in the fourth quarter with ERAU connecting on four field goal attempts and FSC making five of their shots. The difference came at the free throw line where the Eagles made just two trips to the charity stripe compared to 11-of-12 made free throws by the Mocs. The Eagles were never able to get closer than four points and were scoreless in the final 3:05, which allowed Florida Southern to come away with the 16-point win.
Jenike led all players with 18 points.
The Eagles are back at the ICI Center at 4 p.m. on Saturday when they host Lynn in another Sunshine State Conference contest.
