MELBOURNE, Fla. (Women's Basketball) – DeLise Williams scored a game-high 23 points and Florida Tech outscored Embry-Riddle 43-21 in the second half to turn around a halftime deficit and knock off the Eagles 73-60 Wednesday at the Clemente Center. The victory ended the Panthers' four-game skid and improved their season record back above .500.
Williams finished 8-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 at the line, while contributing three steals and three assists.
Tereza Sedlakova notched 15 points and nine boards, both season-highs, while making an efficient 9-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Julie McCarthy also chipped in 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals.
Tara Fields led four Eagles in double-figures with 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Sabrina Whiting scored 17 in the game while Mercedes Jorge and Lauren Ellenberger tallied 10 points each for ERAU.
After a back-and-forth opening quarter the Panthers found themselves leading the Eagles 20-17 heading into the second.
ERAU took control early in the second quarter and built a six point lead (25-31) with 2:30 remaining in the half. FIT would cut the deficit in half with 54 seconds remaining but a 6-0 run by the Eagles, highlighted by Jessica Savage's put-back at the buzzer, gave them a 39-30 advantage as the teams went into the locker room.
Whiting led all scorers at the break with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Fields and Jorge added 10 points apiece.
Three Panthers,
Aniquah Swan, McCarthy and Williams, had six points apiece.
FIT turned it around in the second half, regaining the lead 46-45 with 1:24 to go in the third period when
Markeema Crawford grabbed the defensive board and streaked down the court for the fast break layup. However, Ellenberger's three-point basket with 30 seconds to go gave the Eagles a 48-46 edge heading into the final stanza.
Sedlakova's three-point play tied the game for FIT, 52-52, at the 8:46 mark of the fourth. The Panthers began to pile it on from there, outscoring the Eagles 21-8 the rest of the way and finishing the game at the charity stripe to earn their seventh win of the season.
Following a weekend off, Florida Tech returns to Sunshine State Conference action Wednesday, Jan. 11, on the road at Florida Southern. Tip off for the game is set for 5:30 p.m. ET from Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Florida. Links to live coverage will be available at FloridaTechSports.com.
