Tritons' comeback effort falls short at No. 20 Embry-Riddle

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Eckerd Tritons women's basketball team saw a late comeback fall short on Saturday, falling to the No. 20 ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles by a score of 70-65.

The Tritons battled through a slow start, going over six minutes without a point after Jaylen Ostenson knocked down a three on their opening possession. Eckerd hit just 3-18 through the first 10 minutes of play and trailed by as many as nine, but a late triple from Savannah Borowicz moved the team over the double-figure mark. Embry-Riddle led 19-11 entering the second after hitting 47 percent in the frame.

The lead for the Eagles did not eclipse 11 or dip below eight through the first six minutes of the second period. Ieva Korzane broke a back-and-forth span with a 5-0 run herself to inch the Tritons within five at 26-21, but the home team countered with a 6-2 run to close the half, holding Eckerd to just one made field goal in the final three minutes. Both teams shot 35 percent in the second, with the Eagles holding a slight advantage to build onto their lead and take a 32-23 advantage into the halftime break.

Embry-Riddle saw its largest lead of the contest come early on in the third with a score of 40-26 and held a double-digit margin over Eckerd for the next five minutes until a free throw by Emma Egan moved the differential to single digits. Both the Tritons and Eagles played to another close quarter, but Eckerd drew closer on the scoreboard after Sarah Racaud's layup in the final minute brought the team within eight at 49-41 entering the fourth. 

The Tritons followed up a 43 percent shooting effort in the third with a 47 percent clip in the fourth, using 10 made field goals to storm back and make it a game. Trailing 60-47 with six minutes remaining, Eckerd rattled off eight straight points over the next three minutes while holding Embry-Riddle without a score. A jumper at 2:33 broke the drought for the Eagles, but a layup from Egan and a triple by Korzane cut the deficit to just two at 62-60. Two free throws and a jumper from the home team moved the cushion back out to six, but another Korzane three kept the game within one possession with 41 seconds remaining. Four made free throws from the Eagles down the stretch kept them in front as they held on for the five-point win.

Korzane led the Tritons with 18 points and four made threes, while both Egan (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Ostenson (15 points, 10 rebounds) collected double-doubles. 

Eckerd will be back in action Wednesday to host Rollins.