ST. AUGUSTINE –
Tori Pearce scored a game-high 21 points to help Flagler College rally past Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 63-62 in a non-conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Flagler Gymnasium.
Flagler improved to 4-1 while Embry-Riddle suffered its first loss and dropped to 2-1.
"Hats off to Embry-Riddle," said head coach
Mo Smith. "They are a well-coached team and they play hard. Embry-Riddle presented us with matchup problems and they do a good job playing together on both ends of the floor.
"I thought the difference in the game was our defense, which forced a lot of turnovers in the second half," said Smith. "We held them to 19 points in the second half and we hit a few more shots. I am proud of our team's fighting spirit to comeback and win."
Pearce scored the last seven points for the Saints, including making a transition layup with 26 seconds left to give Flagler its first lead (63-62) since the 5:44 mark in the second quarter. Embry-Riddle missed its last five attempts from the field, all but one coming from three-point range. The Eagles only made 15 percent (3-20) of their shots in the final quarter as the Saints outscored them 17-6.
Pearce added eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals to her line. She played the last 7:45 with four fouls.
Sadie Russell recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. She tied her career-high with four steals.
Taylor Gardner added 10 points.
Macee Sugrue led Embry-Riddle with 14 points. Sydney Jones tallied 11 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Nikki Tucker also finished with a double-double as she scored 12 points and grabbed 12 boards.
Embry-Riddle out-rebounded Flagler 54-32 and had 15 offensive rebounds but were only able to score five points off those second chances. The Eagles also turned the ball over 26 times that led to 17 points for the Saints.
Flagler heads to West Palm Beach, Florida on Monday to take on Palm Beach Atlantic University at 5:30 p.m.
Be the first to know what's going on with the Saints -- Follow @FlaglerSports on Twitter, follow FlaglerSports on Instagram, become a fan of Flagler College Athletics on Facebook and subscribe to the Flagler College Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with Flagler Athletics.
