TAMPA, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team fell to 12th-ranked Tampa 76-54 in the semifinals of the 2024 Sunshine State Conference tournament on Thursday. With the win, the second-seeded Spartans improved to 28-5 and advanced to Sunday's title game while the No. 3 seed Eagles fall to 20-9 on the year.
Tampa opened the game on a 4-0 run, but a
Kyra Haan three cut the Tampa lead to 4-3. After a Tampa layup, Haan scored her second bucket of the night to make it 6-5, but what followed was a seven-minute drought for the Eagles, which allowed the Spartans to go up 22-7 at the end of the first quarter.
After managing just three field goals in the first period, the Eagles improved their shooting to 43.8 percent (7-of-16) in the second and reduced the deficit to 11 (22-11). The last 5:26 of the quarter saw the Spartans create more separation with a 14-6 run and at the half, the lead had swelled to 20 (42-22).
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the third quarter and heading into the fourth, they faced a 30-point (65-35) deficit.
Despite the sizeable advantage for Tampa, the Eagles continued to battle and chipped away at the lead. With 7:03 left in the contest,
Chandler Brooks knocked down her first three-pointer of the year and that basket started a 7-0 run that cut the lead by five (69-44). The Spartans were able to build their lead back up to 30, but the last 1:30 belonged to the Eagles as back-to-back treys by
Kailey Turpening and a last-second shot by
Alyssa Brasko contributed to an 8-0 Eagle run to close out the game.
Madyson Jean-Louis led the Eagles with 15 points and five rebounds.
The Eagles now await the Sunday's NCAA II Selection Show which will determine whether or not their season will continue.
The 2023-24 Embry-RIddle women's basketball season is presented by Daytona Mitsubishi
