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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Athletics

Eliana Sheplee Layup
Zach Phillips
87
Winner Embry-Riddle (FL) ERAU 21-5,16-4 Sunshine State
85
Saint Leo SLU 7-19,3-17 Sunshine State
Winner
Embry-Riddle (FL) ERAU
21-5,16-4 Sunshine State
87
Final
85
Saint Leo SLU
7-19,3-17 Sunshine State
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Embry-Riddle (FL) ERAU 23 22 22 20 87
Saint Leo SLU 28 22 15 20 85

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Zach Phillips

Women’s Basketball Finishes SSC Season with 16-4 Record After 87-85 Win at Saint Leo

SAINT LEO, Fla. – Embry-Riddle women's basketball earned the No. 2 seed in the SSC tournament next week with their second two-point win of the week. The Eagles came out on top in a game that had 14 ties and 10 lead changes on the road against Saint Leo. ERAU erased an 11-point second-quarter deficit to secure the pivotal conference victory, with all five starters scoring at least 10 points for the Blue and Gold. ERAU controlled the glass with 55 rebounds, tied for the seventh most in program history, and went a perfect 15-for-15 at the free throw line, the most makes in a game without a miss in program history.

With her performance, Eliana Sheplee broke three program single-season records, setting new marks for points scored (540), field goals made (208), and field goals attempted (417). She is also within reach of the program records for free throws made and steals in a single season as the postseason approaches.
 
RECORDS:
Embry-Riddle: 21-5, (16-4, SSC)
Saint Leo: 7-19, (3-17, SSC)
 
GAME NOTES
  • The Eagles now lead the all-time series 14-7 over the Lions.
  • ERAU has won each of the last five meetings against Saint Leo, winning every matchup since February 2024. 
  • Embry-Riddle finished the season sweeping six of the ten opposing teams within the SSC (Saint Leo, Palm Beach Atlantic, Lynn, Rollins, Barry, and Florida Southern). 

KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle Saint Leo
  • Player 1: Jailenn Green - 26 pts, 2 reb, 4 stl
  • Player 2: Olivia Agunzo - 20 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
  • Embry-Riddle took five shots on the first possession of the game, grabbing four offensive rebounds, and Mary Lengemann eventually getting the Eagles on the board.
  • Saint Leo would immediately turn the ball over and Laurie Satchell converted the layup to put ERAU ahead 4-0 less than a minute into the game.
  • After two turnovers on their first three possessions, the Lions connected on a pair of shots from behind the arc to make it 6-6 at the 7:19 mark.
  • Jareah Branch took over and scored five straight points for the Blue and Gold, giving them an 11-10 advantage with 5:45 left to go in the quarter.
  • After six consecutive points from Saint Leo, Alyssa Brasko and Bianca Negreiros combined for back-to-back field goals off of the bench. The Eagles had seven different players score at least two points in the opening quarter.
  • Another 6-0 run from the Lions had them up 24-15, but four quick points from Eliana Sheplee along with a late layup from Satchell cut the Blue and Gold's deficit to 28-23 at the end of the period.
Second Quarter
  • Jailenn Green scored six points in the first 90 seconds of the quarter, giving Saint Leo their largest lead of the day at 36-25. 
  • Embry-Riddle relied on their post players to keep them in the game early, with Satchell, Anye' Staton, and Lengemann combining for 16 of the team's 22 points and 10 of the 13 rebounds the team had in the quarter.
  • Those three would score 12 straight points for ERAU, helping cut the 11-point deficit down to 44-39 with 3:55 remaining in the half.
  • The teams traded buckets for the final minutes of the half, with the Blue and Gold heading into the break down 50-45 after a high-scoring first half. 
Third Quarter
  • Turpening and Branch combined for a 6-2 run to begin the half, trimming the Lions lead down to just one in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
  • Sheplee then scored the next 10 points of the game for ERAU, tying the game at 61 heading to the final two minutes of the period.
  • Three straight layups to end the quarter sent us to the final 10 minutes of the game with Embry-Riddle leading 67-65. The steady offense from the Eagles led to them scoring at least 20 points in all four quarters of the game.
Fourth Quarter
  • During the fourth quarter, there would be five ties and four lead changes. ERAU started the period with a two point lead and neither team would go up by more than three points until the final minute.
  • Two early buckets from Turpening and Staton balanced out four free throws from the Lions, keeping Embry-Riddle ahead 71-69 with 8:12 left.
  • The last 18 points from the Eagles came from inside the paint or at the free throw line, with the Blue and Gold shooting .500 (8-for-16) in the quarter.
  • Consecutive layups from Satchell put ERAU up 79-78 with 3:12 remaining after Saint Leo took a brief lead.
  • A layup from Jailenn Green put the Lions back in front 80-79 with 2:24 on the clock. Green and Jocelyn Gagnon combined for the first 17 points in the quarter from Saint Leo.
  • The Blue and Gold would go on a 6-0 in less then a minute, forcing a timeout from the Lions bench, but the Eagles would not give up the lead again in the final minute.
  • Two free throws from Turpening with 12 seconds left finished off the scoring for ERAU, ensuring a three from Saint Leo in the final two seconds did not make an impact on the result.

INSIDE THE STATS
  • The fast pace of the game was shown by the two teams combining for 57 fast break points. 85 points is the most Embry-Riddle has given up in a game this season.
  • ERAU outscored Saint Leo 60-44 with points in the paint this afternoon, along with outrebounding the Lions 55-29.
  • The Eagles now have a 21-1 record this season when outrebounding their opponents.

UP NEXT
The Eagles will start the 2026 SSC tournament on Tuesday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m when they host the No. 7 seed Lynn. Embry-Riddle won the 2025 tournament beating Nova Southeastern in the conference championship at home in the ICI Center. ERAU swept the Fighting Knights this season with a 73-59 victory at home on January 10 and a 106-83 win in Boca Raton on February 21.
 
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