Chicago, IL. - The Embry-Riddle women's basketball team dropped its road contest against Saint Xavier (IL) on Thursday evening at the Shannon Center, falling 81-58. The Eagles moved to 1-1 on the young season while Saint Xavier improved to 2-0.
ERAU came out strong early, taking a 6-2 lead midway through the opening quarter after a three-pointer from Jaelah Clayton. However, Saint Xavier responded with a 17-4 run to close the period and carried a 19-10 advantage into the second quarter.
The Eagles battled throughout the second quarter and trimmed the deficit to three points on multiple occasions. Baskets from Pomai Nakakura and Riley Morris-Rexford helped ERAU stay within striking distance, but a late Saint Xavier surge pushed the lead to 37-26 at halftime.Â
Saint Xavier extended its advantage in the third quarter behind a hot shooting stretch from Laken LePage, who finished with a game-high 20 points and connected on six three-pointers. Despite solid efforts from the Eagles, the hosts carried a 57-39 lead into the final period.
Hannah Williams and Riley Morris-Rexford paced Embry-Riddle with 12 points each. Williams added 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Morris-Rexford chipped in six rebounds and two steals. Bella Barrett also recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Jaelah Clayton scored seven points, and Abby Dean added eight.Â
As a team, the Eagles out rebounded Saint Xavier 48-44 and scored 36 points in the paint, but turnovers and shooting proved costly. ERAU committed 26 turnovers that led to 29 Saint Xavier points while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from three-point range.
