FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The fifth-seeded Embry-Riddle women's basketball team gave fourth-seeded Nova Southeastern (18-10) all it could handle late in game, but the Eagles were unable to advance past the quarterfinals of the Sunshine State Conference tournament, falling to the Sharks 85-79 at the Rick Case Arena on Wednesday. Wednesday's result marked the end of the season for the Eagles who capped the 2018-19 campaign at 17-11 overall.
Senior
Lauren Ellenberger made program history on Wednesday, becoming just the third Embry-Riddle woman to reach the 1,000-point scoring mark. Ellenberger finished with 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals on 6-of-9 shooting and 3-of-4 from long range.
Nikki Tucker led all players with 25 points to go with six boards and four steals, while
Sarah Jones finished with 18 points and
Marisa Koopmann tallied a career-best eight assists.
The Eagles struggled with their composure early in the contest, turning the ball over on their first three possessions. Those turnovers helped the Sharks take a 6-0 lead within the first 8:53 of the game. Jones was finally able to get the Eagles on the scoreboard with an unassisted layup at the 8:23 mark and her second bucket made it two-point game (6-4) with 7:47 left in the quarter. However, the Sharks used the long-range shot to put some distance between themselves and the Eagles, knocking down four of their eight three-point attempts compared to an 0-for-4 effort by ERAU to lead 26-13 at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, the fortunes were reversed as the Eagles were 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, while the Sharks did not attempt a long-range shot. The Eagles outscored NSU 19-17 in the period and at the half, the NSU lead was cut to 11 (43-32).
The Sharks scored the first points of the third period, but over the next three and a half minutes, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run to close the gap to four (45-41) with 5:49 left in the quarter. The Blue and Gold continued to chip away at the lead and at the 3:35 mark,
Morgan Ackermann was fouled as she connected on a jumper in the lane and her third free throw of the night gave the Eagles their first lead of the contest. The teams traded the lead over the next two minutes, but a pair of ERAU miscues helped the Sharks build the lead back up to five, 58-53 heading into the fourth.
After Jordan Tully made a layup to increase the NSU margin to six (68-62), the Eagles drilled back-to-back threes to tie things up at 68-68, and two possessions later, Ellenberger's three put the Eagles back in front 71-70 with 4:35 remaining. However, NSU answered immediately and proceeded to reclaim a five-point advantage.
With 54 seconds left, Tucker forced a Tully turnover under the Eagles' basket and finished a layup to cut the lead to three (80-77). Following the basket, Jones picked off the Sharks' inbounds pass and knocked down a mid-range jumper to make it a one-point game, 80-79. NSU's next possession saw Tully connect on a layup, but this time, the Eagles were unable to find an answer on the offensive end, and the Sharks went 3-for-3 from the free throw line to seal the win.
"I'm extremely proud of how hard we fought in the second half to put ourselves in a position to get the win," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Nuxol-Wilson said. "A few shots fall for us and we get one or two more stops and it's a different outcome. Nova is a good team and earned the win. Our three seniors did everything they could tonight to keep their season alive and we will definitely miss Lauren, Sigrid [Sandstrom] and Morgan a ton. It's been a joy to coach them and they have left their mark on this program."
