DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team put together a solid third quarter performance to erase a 14-point deficit against Eckerd in a Sunshine State Conference match-up at the ICI Center on Saturday. But the No. 9/11 Tritons proved too much for the Eagles in final minutes, winning the contest 76-64. The loss drops Embry-Riddle to 8-11 overall and 3-10 in the SSC, while Eckerd improves to 17-3 and 12-1 in league play.
The Eagles had four players in double figures with
Rachel Murray,
Jenna Teterycz and
Keturah Balabyekkubo scoring 11 points apiece and
Sydney Jones adding 10 to the Eagle tally.
The Eagles got a layup and a three from Balabyekkubo to tie the Tritons at 5-5 to start the game, but the Tritons went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:30 to take a 13-5 lead. After Eckerd got a three-pointer at the 2:42 mark to make it a 10-point (21-11) game, the Eagles were able to cut the lead by half courtesy of a
Kailey Turpening three and a Jones layup. The Tritons scored the last four points of the quarter, however, to lead 25-16 going into the second.
Both teams shot the ball well in the second period with the Eagles shooting 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the field and the Tritons going 9-of-15 (60 percent). Eckerd extended its lead to 13 (37-24), but a quick spurt by the Eagles that reduced the deficit to nine prompted an Eckerd timeout. Coming out of the huddle, the Tritons went on a 7-2 run and increased their lead to 14 (51-37) at the half.
An exciting third quarter saw the Eagles erase the 14-point deficit on an 8-of-17 shooting clip from the field. The comeback started with a midrange jumper by
Jenna Teterycz at the 6:21 mark, sparking a 6-0 Eagle run. Lauryn Vierra's layup halted the run temporarily, but five points by Teterycz and a steal and jumper by
Sydney Jones pulled the Eagles level with the Tritons at 56-56 with 2:32 left in the period.
The Tritons showed why they are one of the top 10 teams in the country as they scored 10 unanswered points in the final 1:32 of the quarter to reclaim a double-digit lead (66-56).
The offense cooled for both sides in the fourth quarter with Eckerd making just four shots and the Eagles making three from the field. The Tritons edged the Eagles 10-8 in the final 10 minutes to secure their 12
th SSC win of the season.
Sofia Persson, Hannah Wentworth and Nicole Scales led the offensive effort for Eckerd with Persson scoring a game-high 24 points and Wentworth and Scales totaling 18 points each.
The Eagles are on the road again on Wednesday, traveling to Boca Raton for a 5:30 p.m. game against Lynn.
The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle women's basketball season is presented by Daytona Mitsubishi.
