WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. ? Jean Metelus matched his jersey number with 22 points to lead the fifth-seeded Edward Waters (21-11) men's basketball team to an 85-72 win over second-seeded Embry-Riddle (27-6) in the title game of the Florida Sun Conference tournament on Saturday at the Countess de Hoernle Center on the campus of Northwood University.
The Eagles took a an early five point lead thanks to a layup by Tyler DeBord and an three-point basket by Denver Cobb. But the Tigers tied the score at 11 with 12:46 to go in the first half and hit nine of their next 10 shot attempts, four of which were from beyond the arc to take a 12 point lead at 37-25 with 4:02 remaining in the first.
The Eagles, who struggled from the field during that eight-minute stretch found their rhythm again starting with an Eric Lorenzi jumper with 3:43 to go until the halftime break. The Eagles got two huge blocks by William Benjamin on the defensive end and Lorenzi, Cobb and Rocky Pierre accounted for four three-pointers in a row to pull the Eagles even with the Tigers at 39-39.
On the last possession of the half the Eagles took the ball down the floor and got it to Cobb. Cobb drove the lane for the shot attempt and corralled his own rebound on the miss. He went up again for the put back and was fouled in the process as time expired. Cobb, who leads the nation in free throw shooting at 91.6 percent, calmly sunk both free throws to give the Eagles a 41-39 lead heading into the locker room.
ERAU extended its cushion to five points to start the second half, but a three-pointer by FSC Freshman of the Year Johnny Nelson at the 14:00 mark triggered a 10-3 run that gave the Tigers a seven-point advantage. The Eagles shot only 29 percent from the field in the second half and Edward Waters capitalized on those misses pulling down 20 defensive rebounds and converting them into baskets on the other end of the floor.
The Eagles got to within five with 1:50 remaining but missed six of their last eight shots and the Tigers made the 12 of their 15 trips to the free throw line in the last 1:19 to seal the win.
With the victory, the Tigers earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship in Point Lookout, Mo., Mar. 12-18.
By virtue of their No. 15 ranking, the Eagles have also secured a spot in the 32-team national tournament field. Game times and pairings will be determined on Mar. 5 when the bracket is released.
