FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 15 Lee women's basketball suffered its first setback of the 2017-18 season falling to Embry-Riddle, 86-66 on Friday afternoon.
The Eagles led from start to finish in handing the Lady Flames a rare double-digit loss on the opening day of the Nova Southeastern Thanksgiving Classic.
Senior guard Erin Walsh led the way for the Lady Flames with 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the field. Freshman Maddie Long pitched in 12 points, three assists and swiped three steals while Taylor Boggess added 10 points off the bench.
Sabrina Whiting stole the show for Embry-Riddle as she delivered 28 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the field while canning four triples. Tara Fields had 20 points and Lauren Ellenberger hit three 3s to and finished with 13 points in the winning effort.
The Eagles dished off 21 assists as a team led by six from Nicole Tucker and shot 52.7 percent from the field (29 of 55) and 43 percent from beyond the arc (9 of 21). The Lady Flames were limited to just 23 of 59 from the field, good for 39 percent and 7 of 21 on 3-pointers (33.3 percent).
"I'm very disappointed in our effort and execution tonight," said a frustrated head coach Marty Rowe. "Give credit to Embry-Riddle. They were better in every single facet of the game. They have a great coach and are a hungry team in their first year of NCAA postseason eligibility. We need to come out tomorrow and play with much more urgency."
The Lady Flames fall to 4-1 on the young season and will look to rebound quickly as they will take on host Nova Southeastern on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Eagles improve to a perfect 5-0 and will take on West Alabama at noon.
