DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The game started out looking as though the first-year No. 19 Northwood (Fla.) University program was going to open up a huge lead after its 8-2 run in the first two minutes, however veteran ERAU head coach Steve Ridder quickly turned the tide to the Eagles favor with a 30-second timeout. Embry-Riddle responded with a 14-5 run to take a three-point advantage and never relinquished the lead from that point on posting the 83-72 victory to improve to 2-0 in the Florida Sun Conference and 17-3 overall.
Denver Cobb had much to do with the Eagle run with his two three-pointers of the half coming during the surge and was hard to contain the rest of the evening finishing with a career-high 25 points on 6-for-12 shooting (five threes), was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe and added nine boards.
The Eagles led by three at 31-28 with 3:58 to go in the first half, but went on an 11-4 run down the stretch to take a 42-32 lead to the break.
Baree Ward paced Northwood (14-4, 1-1 FSC) with 21 points before fouling out with 22 ticks left in the contest. However, Marvin Owens was a difference maker in the second half helping the Seahawks trim the gap to 55-53 with 9:09 to go in the game. Owens scored all eight of his points on the night in the first 11 minutes of the second half to help cut the lead, while Ward and Seth Davis each added four point apiece before Darel Lucas hit one of his four three-pointers on the night to make it a two-point game. Lucas had 18 points (7-for-13 shooting, 4-for-8 from downtown) and Davis had seven points and 13 boards (10 in the first half).
Murat Hisarkaya played a huge role off the bench for the Eagles helping them regain a more comfortable advantage with an offensive board and tip-in at the 6:14 mark of the second half to push the lead to 60-54 and after a layup by NU's Ward, canned a three-point bomb with 5:22 to put ERAU ahead 63-56.
The Seahawks cut the lead to four twice over the next two minutes, but Embry-Riddle went on a 7-0 run with a Cobb three, DeBord layup and Miller jumper pushing the lead to double-digits for the first time before the break. NU's Chad Radosevich, who entered the night converting better than 40 percent of his three-point attempts, was held to just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc and his only make trimmed the lead to six at 78-72 with 28 seconds to go. However, the Eagles iced the game at the free throw line converting four in the final 14 seconds with two make from Ryan Exter and Cobb to prevail 83-72.
Exter was one of five ERAU players in double-figures with 11 joining Cobb (25), Hisarkaya (14), Miller (13) and DeBord (10).
The Eagles return to action on Monday at Webber International for a 7 p.m. tipoff, while Northwood is at Warner Southern on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
