DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Using a big second half, University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball remained unbeaten to open the 2015-16 season, defeating Embry-Riddle, 63-51, on the road Saturday. The Cougars move to 7-0 on the season with the victory, approaching last season's program-best 8-0 start.

Three different Cougars reached double figures in scoring led by Taylor Varsho, who poured in 16 points to lead USF for the third straight game. Sam Knecht had 15 points and seven rebounds for Sioux Falls, while Alison Klostergaard finished with 10 points, all in the first half, and a team-high nine rebounds.

USF forced 19 Embry-Riddle turnovers and converted those opportunities into 20 points. After the first quarter in which ERAU shot over 60 percent from the field, the Cougars held the Eagles to a 33.3 percent mark for the game. USF finished with a 37.5 shooting percentage, making a season-low five 3-pointers. Sabrina Whiting finished with a game-high 20 points to lead ERAU, but no other Eagle reached double figures.

For the first time all season Sioux Falls faced a deficit after the first quarter, trailing Embry-Riddle by six points, 21-15. The Cougars were outscored in the paint, 14-8, and allowed the Eagles to shoot 9-for-14 from the floor giving them a six-point advantage.

Knecht opened the game with a layup and Varsho hit a three to give the Cougars a lead once again. After Teagan Molden hit a jumper to put USF up 7-4, Whiting scored five consecutive points to put ERAU on top. The Eagles would answer jumpers by Klostergaard and Amber Paden to hold their lead, but Klostergaard connected again on a jumper to put USF up by one. Whiting continued to carry the Eagle offense and scored five points as part of a 7-0 run to end the quarter for Embry-Riddle to take a 21-15 lead.

After nearly two minutes of scoreless basketball to start the second quarter, Klostergaard led a charge that tied the game at 23-23. She knocked down a layup and assisted on another from Knecht to bring the Cougars within two points. Varsho answered a Whiting layup and Marie Malloy set up Paden with an easy layup to tie the game at the midway point of the second quarter.

Molden gave the Cougars the lead with two free throws and Malloy scored her only points of the game with a 3-pointer as Paden returned the favor with an assist. Varsho capped off the 15-2 run with a layup off another of Malloy's passes. Embry-Riddle battled back to tie the game at 30-30, but Klostergaard and Knecht closed the half for the Cougars with four straight points to take a 34-30 advantage at the half.

Sioux Falls quickly expanded on their lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter, pushing it to eigh points off buckets from Varsho and Knecht. Alyson Johnsen and Madi Robson kept the Cougar lead intact, answering ERAU scores with buckets of their own. The two would team up again to bring USF's lead to double digits just minutes later. Robson set up Varsho with a 3-pointer and Johnsen knocked down a triple off another Robson pass for a 48-35 lead with four minutes to play in the third.

Embry-Riddle answered USF's scoring efforts to keep the Cougar advantage between 10 to 12 points as the quarter waned. ERAU's Laniere Coleman knocked down a pair of free throws to make the score 50-40, but Knecht answered with two free throws and a Malloy-assisted layup to close the third period for a 54-40 USF lead.

Surging ahead in the fourth quarter, Sioux Falls pushed their lead to nearly 20 points by the midway point of the final period. Knecht hit a layup and Robson followed with a jumper to keep USF up by 16 points. Varsho hit her third 3-pointer of the game just after the five-minute mark for USF's largest lead, a 61-42 advantage.

The Eagles began to chip away at the Cougar lead and closed the gap to 10 points behind five points from Whiting. The Sioux Falls defense then dug their heels in and held Embry-Riddle scoreless for the final 2:30 of the game. Knecht and Varsho each went 1-for-2 from the free throw line in the final minute to push USF's winning score to 63-51.

Sioux Falls closes out a four-game road trip with a two-game jaunt east on Interstate-90, facing Upper Iowa on Friday, Dec. 4, and squaring off with No. 11 Winona State in a possible top-25 matchup on Saturday, Dec. 5.