FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team suffered its first Sunshine State Conference loss of the season on Saturday falling 80-71 to Nova Southeastern on the road in the final game of 2023. The loss puts the Eagles at 8-2 overall and 2-1 in league play, while the Sharks improve to 8-3 and 3-1 in the SSC.
The Eagles ran into a hot-shooting Shark squad that was 63 percent (10-of-16) from long range. Three-point shooting was the difference as the Eagles, who were 0-for-7 in the first 20 minutes, managed just four threes in the game. Overall, ERAU was 57 percent (27-of-47) from the field and 13-for-17 from the free throw line, but the Sharks had a 26-17 advantage on the boards and scored 22 points off 17 Eagle turnovers.
The game was close through the first six minutes of the first quarter as a pair of free throws by
Madyson Jean-Louis pulled the Eagles within one point of the Sharks at 10-9 at the 3:57 mark. But the home team used a 10-0 run in the last 2:45 to take a 20-9 lead into the second period.
The Eagles were 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the field in the second quarter, but none of their made baskets were three-pointers and a 15-8 rebounding advantage by the Sharks led to 11 second-chance points and a 41-25 Nova Southeastern lead at the half.
An even third quarter saw the Sharks and the Eagles score 21 points each. The Eagles were 8-of-13 during that 10-minute stretch, while the Sharks connected on six of their seven free throws to take a 16-point (62-46) lead into the final quarter.
At the 7:43 mark of the fourth,
Mary Lengemann hit a pair of free throws to cut the NSU lead to 13 (68-55). Following a Shark turnover,
Keturah Balabyekkubo drove to the basket to cut the lead to 11 points (68-57). NSU managed to build their lead back up to 14 (75-61) with 4:06 left to play, but after a
Kailey Turpening trey,
Jenna Teterycz came up with a steal and fed Turpening for another bucket to cut the lead to nine (75-66) at the 3:24 mark. The Eagles were unable to get any closer, however, and the game ended with the nine-point win for the Sharks.
Embry-Riddle had four players scoring in double figures led by Jean-Louis' 17 points. Turpening scored a career-best 13 points to go with a game-high six assists, whileBalabyekkubo added 14 points, three boards, three assists and four steals, and
Laurie Satchell contributed 10 points, four rebounds and two steals off the bench.
The Eagles are back on the road on Wednesday when they travel to Tampa to take on the seventh-ranked Spartans at 5:30 p.m.
The 2023-24 Embry-Riddle women's basketball season is presented by Daytona Mitsubiishi.
