DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team dropped a close game in its final preseason exhibition contest on Monday at the ICI Center. The Eagles mounted a furious rally in the closing minutes of Monday's game, but were unable to overtake the Titans, falling 75-71.
Nikki Tucker led all players with 21 points and eight rebounds for the Eagles, while
Sydney Jones added 14 points and
Madyson Jean-Louis contributed eight points to the Eagle tally.
Rapuluchi Ngorka led the Titans with a double-double, tallying 20 points and 16 boards on the night.
The Titans jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game, but a jumper by
Liz Behan at the six-minute mark keyed a 13-4 run that staked the Eagles to a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second frame belonged to the Titans, however, as they outscored the Eagles 26-9 on 58.3 percent (7-of-12) shooting from the field and 80 percent from long range (4-of-5) and the free throw line (8-of-10) to take a 42-28 advantage into the halftime break.
The third quarter saw the Eagles improve their offense, outscoring the Titans 17-11. ERAU was able to cut the deficit to six points (51-45) late in the quarter, but a buzzer beater by Hanna Mebius-Svensso gave EFSC an eight-point lead heading into the final frame.
The Eagles made 14 trips to the free throw line and made good on 12 of those chances, compared to a 3-for-6 performance by the Titans in the fourth quarter. That discrepancy helped ERAU steadily close the gap and with 26 seconds left,
Nikki Tucker drained a three-pointer from way beyond the arc to make it a one-point game (72-71).
But that's a close as the Eagles would get as Shadaria Smith hit a free throw and a layup in the closing seconds to seal the win.
The Eagles will officially open the 2021-22 season on Friday when they host the Bahama House Classic. ERAU will face Spring Hill on Friday and Christian Brothers on Saturday. Both games are slated for a 6 p.m. tip.
The Embry-Riddle women's basketball season is presented by Daytona Mitsubishi.
