Box Score DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a nail biter that lasted until the very last second of the game, the Embry-Riddle Eagles (13-4, SSC 7-3) routed Florida Tech (8-8, SSC 5-5), 71-69 with a buzz-beater at the ICI Center on Wednesday night.
Running the Panthers offense, senior
DeLise Williams drained 13 points for FIT on a 3-for-6 effort from the floor and pulled down four rebounds. Junior
Tereza Sedlakova knocked down 12 baskets for the Crimson and Gray on a 5-for-7 shooting performance, while
Gracie Doane and
Markeema Crawford sank 10 points apiece. Crawford ended the midweek outing with a team-best seven boards and two blocks.
As a team, Florida Tech shot 40.4 percent from the field (21-of-52), 30.8 from behind the arc and 80.8 percent from the line. Additionally, the Panthers forced 11 Eagle turnovers and held a 22-21 edge over ERAU in bench points. Cumulatively, FIT counted 32 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three steals.
Starting the game, the Panthers held ERAU scoreless for the first 6:25 minutes of action, jumping out to a 7-0 run. However, the Eagles quickly answered back and closed the first stanza overlapping the Melbourne lineup, 18-16.
Sedlakova tied things up for the Crimson and Gray early in the second quarter, but Embry-Riddle rapidly ceased the Panthers comeback by increasing its lead to 26-20 at the six-minute mark. With four minutes remaining on the clock,
Aniquah Swan and Doane joined forces to erase the gap and balance the score at 26. From there the teams traded baskets, until the Eagles took an 8-6 run to enter the locker room ahead, 34-32.
Returning from halftime, FIT trailed Embry-Riddle by as much as seven points before
Michaela Gelbaugh made it a five-point game in the last 24 seconds of the third frame. Entering the final stanza down by a nickel, Florida Tech made its comeback at the 2:17 mark, as the Panthers sank five baskets to make it a one point decision, 67-68. Although the Eagles enlarged their stretch by one, FIT turned the game around with another basket in the final seconds to bring the score to 69. With less than two seconds on the clock, ERAU sealed its 13
th win, beating the buzzer to cap the game, 71-69.
Next up, the Panthers will travel west to face the Eckerd Tritons on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. ET.
For live coverage of the event, fans can access FloridaTechSports.com!
