GILBERT, Ariz.  – In a close contest that was tied at half-time, the Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) women's basketball team saw Simpson out score it 25-16 in the third quarter as the Redhawks went on to take a 71-65 win over the Eagles in one semifinal game of the 2023 California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) Women's Basketball Tournament. Sophomore Zakiirah King (Chandler, Ariz.) led ERAU with 19 points.

The Red Hawks (20-9) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, but the ERAU defense took SU out of its rhythm and the offense stalled the rest of the half, being outscored 19-13 in a low-scoring defensive battle.  The tempo of the game picked up considerably in the second half as both teams increased defensive pressure and pushed transition.  SU scored the first seven points of the second half and took control of the contest, building a double-digit lead that the Red Hawks until late in the fourth quarter.

SU had to hold off ERAU's furious sprint at finish that saw the Eagles cut a 10-point deficit with 30 seconds left to just four with 10 seconds remaining.  But the Red Hawks were able to make free throws and run out the clock to keep their postseason alive.

Junior Aryana Gonzales (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and sophomore Micaela Hidalgo (Greeley, Colo.) also reached double figures in scoring for Embry-Riddle, scoring 10 each. Hidalgo also led the Eagles with six rebounds and three steals.