SAINT LEO, Fla. – Nikki Tucker scored a season-best 21 points against Saint Leo on Wednesday evening, but it was not enough to push the Embry-Riddle women's basketball team to victory as the Eagles fell to the Lions 79-66 at the Lions' Bowman Center. The Eagles (5-10, 3-6 SSC) traded places with the Lions (7-9, 3-5 SSC) in the Sunshine State Conference standings as the Lions moved up to the eighth spot while the Eagles fall to ninth place.
 
Tucker was 8-of-13 from the field, including a 3-of-5 clip from long range, and registered eight rebounds and three assists to go with her team-best scoring performance. Sarah Jones contributed 12 points, six boards and four steals, while Shelby Bischoff added 10 points and six boards, and Sydney Jones matched her career-best rebounding total with 10.
 
The Eagles scored the first points of the game on a jumper by Tucker, but ERAU went scoreless of the next six minutes, allowing the Lions to take a 12-2 lead. The Blue and Gold owned the last 3:43 of the quarter as they outscored Saint Leo 12-3 in that stretch to pull within one (15-14) heading into the second.
 
The Eagles and the Lions engaged in a back-and-forth battle to start a second quarter that featured four ties and 12 lead changes. With 2:09 left in the period, Sarah Jones stole the ball from Lewisa Santiago at midcourt and raced to the basket to give the Eagles a 35-33 edge, however, the end of the quarter saw the home team go on a 7-0 run to take a 40-35 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
The momentum Saint Leo had with the run at the end of the first half carried over into the third quarter as the Lions outscored the Eagles 11-0 in the first 5:21 of the frame. Imani Jones' layup at the 5:10 mark gave ERAU its first points of the second half and the Eagles were able to cut the lead to eight (58-50) with 17 seconds left in the third period. 
 
After ending the third with a three-pointer, the Lions built the lead back up to 16 with a 7-2 run to start the fourth. The Eagles were able to reduce the deficit slightly, but the Lions maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the fourth quarter to secure the win.
 
The Lions had four players score in double figures, led by Alani Gallagher who finished with a game-high 22 points.
 
The Eagles play the second game of a three-game road swing on Saturday against Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.