DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team challenged 15th-ranked Tampa through the first 20 minutes of play at the ICI Center on Wednesday. But the Spartans were able to pull away in the third quarter on the way to a 65-50 win in Sunshine State Conference action.
Nikki Tucker and
Madyson Jean-Louis each tallied 11 points for the Blue and Gold with Jean-Louis pulling down a team-best nine boards.
Keturah Balabyekkubo added 10 points off the bench for the Eagles who are now 3-5 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Wednesday's contest was close throughout the first half of play, which featured one tie and four lead changes. The Spartans scored the first points of the game, but the Eagles answered with a 7-0 run to take a five-point (7-2) lead early in the frame. The Eagles maintained the lead until Kayla Bonilla's jump shot gave the Spartans an 11-10 edge, but ERAU answered immediately and at the end of the frame, the Eagle lead was 16-13.
Both teams were 6-for-15 from the field and connected on two long-range shots in the second period, but ERAU was called for five fouls which resulted in six Tampa trips to the free throw line. The Spartans made good on all six attempts and took a three-point (33-30) lead into the halftime break.
The Eagle team that shot 48 percent in the first half was quiet for most of the third quarter and an eight-minute scoring drought allowed Tampa to take a 16-point lead.
Embry-Riddle bounced back in the fourth frame, matching the Spartans point-for-point in the final 10 minutes of play. A 7-4 run to start the fourth, punctuated by
Macee Sugrue's second three of the night, cut the deficit to 11 (54-43), but the Spartans were able to maintain their double-digit lead and come away from the ICI Center with the win.
Bonilla led all players with 17 points, while LaShayla Ponder-Wright and Mya Giusto added 14 and 12 points, respectively for the Spartans who are now 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the SSC.
The Eagles will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii for their next two games to compete in the Hoops in Hawaii Classic scheduled for Dec. 17-18.
The 2021-22 Embry-Riddle women's basketball season is presented by Daytona Mitsubishi.
