DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team suffered its third Sunshine State Conference loss of the season on Saturday, falling to Florida Tech (7-7, 3-3 SSC) 77-62 at the ICI Center. The Eagles, who fell victim to a five-and-a-half minute scoring drought that spanned the third and fourth quarters, evened their league record at 3-3, while their overall ledger is now 5-7.
 
Nikki Tucker led the way for the Eagles with her third double-double of the season, tallying 17 points, 16 boards and four steals. Sarah Jones finished with 16 points, three boards and two steals, while Rachel Murray posted a solid all-around performance with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
The Eagles were 36.4 percent (23-65) from the field, while the Panthers connected on 30 of their 69 shots (43.5%). Florida Tech also bested ERAU 50-34 on the boards, which led to 11 second-chance points, and knocked down 12 threes compared to just six by the Eagles.
 
"I was very disappointed in our effort tonight and our ability to stick to the game plan for 40 minutes," ERAU Head Coach Lisa Wilson said. "We have to learn that every possession matters and our shot selection and lack of rebounding tonight really hurt us. We definitely need to make the adjustments for our next game."
 
The start of Saturday's game saw the Eagles jump out to a 9-2 lead, but the Panthers quickly caught up to take a one-point lead at the 5:36 mark. The Eagles got some good looks at the basket, but they were unable to get their shots to fall. They scored just two points in the last seven minutes of the first quarter and heading into the second, the Panthers led 18-11.
 
The Blue and Gold scored the first points of the second quarter, but once again the offense struggled to put points on the board and with 6:29 left in the half the Panthers had increased their advantage to 10 points (23-13). With 5:36 left, Macee Sugrue hit her second jumper of the period and that score triggered a 7-0 Eagle run that cut the Panther lead to three points (23-20). A pair of free throws and a Fanny Hakanson three allowed the Panthers to build their lead back up to eight points (28-20), but the Eagles, who turned offense into defense with nine points off seven Florida Tech turnovers, went on a 13-5 run to end the period, and at the half the score was tied at 33-33.
 
ERAU shot the ball well in a third quarter that featured four ties and four lead changes, as they made 53.3 percent (8-of-15) of their field goal attempts. However, the Eagles turned the ball over five times in the period which led to 10 Panther points and heading into the fourth the visitors led 55-52.
 
Following a Murray layup at the 2:29 mark of the third quarter, the Eagles didn't score their next points until Sadie Walsh-Gay's jumper with 6:57 left in the fourth. That scoring drought helped the Panthers extend their advantage to 15 points (69-54). The Eagles managed just three field goals in the final 10 minutes and Florida Tech led by as many as 17 points before emerging with the 77-62 win.
 
Balanced scoring propelled the Panther effort as five players finished in double figures with Hakanson, Amanda Allen and Fanny Paulin totaling 14 points apiece.
 
The Eagles are back on the road on Wednesday as they travel to Tampa to take on the league-leading Spartans in another Sunshine State Conference tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.