DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Embry-Riddle (1-0) women's basketball got the 2026-27 season off to a great start on Tuesday night as they defeated Southeastern (4-1), 71-51 in the ICI Center. Highlighted by
Jareah Branch scoring 14 consecutive points for ERAU from late in the third quarter into the fourth, the Eagles were able to build their lead up to 20 points after a tightly contested first period. The Blue and Gold had a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint, forced 24 turnovers, grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, in addition to finishing with 16 assists, nine steals, and five blocks in the team's all-around performance.
First Quarter
Eliana Sheplee and
Signe Nordvik got the Blue and Gold ahead 4-0 inside of the first 30 seconds after consecutive buckets in the paint, before two layups from Chloe Collin tied the score at 4-4. Following Collin's layups, the Eagles would limit the Fire to just one made field goal over the final eight minutes of the quarter, while
Jareah Branch scored eight consecutive points for ERAU, extending their lead to 13-6 at 2:30. Southeastern cut into the margin with an Eva Bishop layup and two Alley Haas free throws, while
Tatyana Campise-Pinkney added a fast-break jumper for Embry-Riddle in the final minute of the period, as the scoreboard read 15-13 through the opening ten minutes.
Second Quarter
The two teams traded baskets to begin the second quarter, combining to score on six of the first eight possessions, which saw SEU take a brief 20-19 lead at 7:38.
Bianca Negreiros put ERAU back in front with a fast-break layup at 7:07, and Branch added a layup and two free throws before Negreiros capped the 9-0 run with a three-pointer for a 28-20 lead. A pair of free throws from SEU briefly ended the run, but four consecutive points from
Eliana Sheplee, a fast-break layup from
Kyra Haan and Staton added a layup to stretch the lead to 36-22. Southeastern scored twice at the line late, but
Ava Boyes hit a buzzer-beater to send the Blue and Gold into halftime ahead 38-24.
Third Quarter
Staton made two early layups in between baskets by Grace Pitzer and Sofi Miller, leaving ERAU in front 42-28 with 8:34 on the clock. Sheplee converted an and-one on a fast-break layup to extend the team's lead to 17, and
Alyssa Brasko's first field goal of the game made it 47-30 heading into the third quarter media timeout.
Florrie Cotterill added the first points of her career for Embry-Riddle, and Branch scored off Cotterill's assist with seven seconds left to send the Eagles into the fourth quarter up 51-36.
Fourth Quarter
Branch scored eight consecutive points in the first 2:23 of the fourth quarter, turning the score from 51-38 after Mafalda Chambel's fast-break layup into a 59-40 advantage. Eva Bishop connected on a jumper, before Branch continued her streak of scoring seven consecutive field goals for the Eagles, extending the margin to 64-42 with less than five minutes left to play.
Danika Ballard answered Chloe Collin's free throw with a layup, and after Anna Tinelli hit a 3-pointer, Haan converted a three-point play of her own with a layup and free throw at 3:18 to make it 69-47. Southeastern (FL) scored the next four points before Ballard's ended the night with the last field goal of the game, giving Embry-Riddle a 20-point win.
Inside the Stats
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Jareah Branch recorded a career-high 26 points and 12 made field goals in addition to five rebounds and three assists.
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Eliana Sheplee nearly recorded a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds
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Anye' Staton led the team in assists with five to go along with her seven points, seven rebounds, and three steals
- Head Coach
Lisa Wilson was able to use 14 different players tonight, with 11 of the 14 recording at least one made field goal.
Up Next
Embry-Riddle will be back in action later this week as they travel to Jacksonville, Fla., for the program's second-ever meeting against Edward Waters. That game is currently scheduled to tip off on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m.
