DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team took the trip north to face the Embry-Riddle Eagles this afternoon. The two sides played out a low-scoring affair that saw the Sailfish fall 58-45. PBA's record drops to 5-11 on the season.
Both sides started out the game cold from the field as neither side could string together multiple baskets early on. It took nearly seven minutes for either side to break the five-point mark as each side's defense kept the opposing offenses in check. The Sailfish were just 1-of-11 from the floor in the opening quarter and were 3-of-4 from the line. PBA was limited to five points while the Eagles, who struggled early against PBA's defense, closed the quarter on an 11-1 run to lead 14-5.
The PBA offense needed a spark in the second quarter and they received it from
Shekinah Guthrie who scored nine points of the 16 points in the quarter on 3-of-4 shooting. The 'Fish stayed solid defensively, but ERAU's leading scorer Nikki Tucker kept the Eagles afloat by hitting all five field goals for the home side in the quarter. Despite the slow offense start, the Sailfish were still within striking distance at the half, trailing 31-21.
Unfortunately for the 'Fish, they came out of the half with another single-digit offensive quarter that put them further behind the eight ball. They were 3-of-10 from the field and struggled with eight turnovers.
Courtni Demorest led the Sailfish with four in the quarter while
Chelsea Aalim and
Mariyah Fletcher each added two points. PBA was outscored 15-8 as the deficit grew to 17.
Seven different Sailfish scored in the final quarter as they outscored the Eagles 16-12, but ERAU held their double-digit lead throughout. The Sailfish finished 14-of-47 from the floor but they were able to take advantage of their trips to the free-throw line, going 15-of-20. Guthrie led PBA with 10 while Aalim added nine points.
Sia Williams and Fletcher each scored six points off the bench to lead the second unit.
The Sailfish will return home for their next contest when they will play host to Barry on Jan. 19. The Buccaneers are 10-3 and 7-2 in Sunshine State Conference play on the season.
