DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team (8-9, 3-8 SSC) fell to No. 7/9 Tampa (18-1, 10-1) in a Sunshine State Conference matchup, Saturday at the ICI Center.
Keturah Balabyekkubo picked up her second double-double of the season to lead the Eagles, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Rachel Murray and
Sydney Jones tallied 11 points apiece, while
Kelli Thomas matched her season-high six rebounds to go with six points off the bench.
The opening quarter began with the Spartans racing out to a 7-0 lead. The Eagles were able to close the gap to five points (9-4), but the Spartans' 61.5 percent shooting clip in the first 10 minutes overwhelmed the Eagles who were just 5-of-18 in that frame and heading into the second quarter, Tampa led 21-10.
The Eagles matched the Spartans point for point in the second period. The Spartans had a 6-5 edge made field goals but were outdone by the Eagles in long range shooting. The Blue and Gold made 60 percent (3-of-5) of their three-point attempts compared to a 1-of-3 effort by Tampa and at the half the advantage remained at 11 points (37-26) in favor of the visitors.
The start of the third quarter saw the Spartans hold the Eagles scoreless through the first two minutes to extend their lead to 15 points (43-28). At the 7:50 mark, Balabyekkubo finished a layup and that score marked the start of an 11-4 Eagle run that cut the lead to six (47-41) with 3:20 left in the period. The momentum quickly shifted back in the Spartans' favor as they rattled off nine unanswered over the next three minutes to reclaim a 15-point (56-41) lead.
An 8-2 Eagle run to start the fourth quarter reduced the deficit to nine (58-49) with 7:42 left to play. Once again, the Spartans answered and outscored the Eagles 14-2 in the final 6:37 to seal the victory.
Melijah Sullivan and Sydney Kin provided most of the offense for Tampa, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively.
The Eagles are back on the road on Wednesday when they travel to Miami Shores to face Barry. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m.
The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle women's basketball season is presented by Daytona Mitsubishi.
