DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? Eric Lorenzi and Tyler DeBord tallied 19 points each to lead the 16th-ranked Embry-Riddle men's basketball team to a 78-66 win over NAIA I Graceland in the first round of the Daytona Mitsubishi Shootout, Friday at the ICI Center. Friday's win marks the ninth straight appearance in the championship game for the Eagles who have retained the tournament title each of the last three years.

DeBord and Lorenzi each posted double-double performances with DeBord pulling down 12 rebounds and Lorenzi collecting 11.

As a team the Eagles dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Yellowjackets 52-29, including a 26-6 advantage on the offensive glass.

Denver Cobb, who finished with 17 points, four rebounds and four steals on the night, got the Eagles' scoring started, connecting on three of his first four three-point attempts. Cobb cooled off towards the middle of the first half, but Lorenzi picked up where Cobb left off hitting three straight long-range shots to help the Eagles to a 12-point advantage at intermission.

ERAU went on a 12-4 run to start the second half, building the lead to 21 points. The Eagles shot only 37.5 percent from the floor but created several second chance opportunities with their offensive rebounding. Graceland made a run over the last six minutes behind three-point shooting by Matt Mullins and Stevan Trisic. But it was not enough to catch the Eagles who went 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the last 3:17 to seal the win.

Jared Stricklin was the leading scorer for the Yellowjackets finishing with 20 points, followed by Jewell Carter with 14 and Mike Johnson with 10.

The Eagles will take on William Carey (Miss.) in the championship game at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The Crusaders topped Columbia (Mo.) 86-85 in overtime to advance. Columbia and Graceland will face each other in the consolation game at 6 p.m.