DAYTONA BEACH Fla. – Facing one of the top-3 strongest defenses in the league, the Nova Southeastern women's basketball team dropped its second-straight Sunshine State Conference game, 74-56, to the Eagles of Embry-Riddle Wednesday night in the ICI Center.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 56-74
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (8-6, 4-4 SSC), Embry-Riddle (11-4, 5-3 SSC)
LOCATION: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | SSC-leading three-point shooter Alison Hughes kicked off the scoring for the Sharks just 24 seconds in, giving NSU an early 3-0 lead. The two teams exchanged field goals before at 5-2, the Eagles took off on a 7-1 run, taking the lead, 9-6, and never looking back. ERAU went on to outscore NSU 12-8 for a 21-14 lead heading into the second frame.
 
2ND QUARTER | After a split pair of free throws by Christen Prasse, the Eagles continued to put on the offensive pressure, using an 8-0 run to grab a 29-15 lead. NSU scored its first field goal 3:28 into the corner as Cheray Saunders took one to the basket. Putting up only 10 points in its lowest scoring quarter of the game, NSU trailed the Eagles 37-24 at the break.  
 
3RD QUARTER | A layup by Embry-Riddle's Tara Fields gave the Eagles their largest lead of the game, 43-24, and forced the Sharks to call for a timeout. Returning to the floor, Hughes and Prasse drained back-to-back treys to cut the deficit to 13, 43-30, but the 6-0 run wasn't enough as ERAU outscored NSU 8-6 to close out the quarter on top 51-36.
 
4TH QUARTER | The Sharks had their strongest offensive outing in the final frame, tallying a game-high 20 points including 12 points from the field and six from deep. Embry-Riddle's advantage was too large, however, and the host team went on to take their fifth conference win, 74-56.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• Prasse led all scorers with 13 points, pulling down four boards and making three steals.
• Hughes followed Prasse with 11 points with three assists while Hailey Conley tallied 10 points, her first double-digit night of her career.
• Maria Bardeeva was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, collecting eight points, while Cheray Saunders had seven and added three steals.
• NSU commited 19 turnovers, allowing the Eagles to score 18 points off of them.
• ERAU held NSU to just 38.8 percent from the field, while the Eagles were shooting at 57.4 percent.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Conley's double-digit night was a career-high, coming in with a high of six prior to tonight.
• Hughes had her seventh-straight game with double-digit points.
• Osceola's seven boards were a career-high.
• This is the first time the two teams have competed against each other as full SSC members, and the overall series record moves to 3-2 in NSU's favor.

 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will return to the friendly confines of the Rick Case Arena this Saturday to host the Lions of Saint Leo at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
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Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball