TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. – The 14th-ranked Embry-Riddle men's overcame a three-point halftime deficit to defeat Florida College 87-65 on Tuesday. The loss was the first of the season for the Falcons who fall to 3-1 with the loss, while the Eagles improve to 2-0 on the year.
Tuesday's game was a tale of two halves. The Falcons shot 53.8 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc in the first frame, but the second half belonged to the Eagles who outscored Florida College 52-27 on the way to the 22-point win.
The start of the game saw the Eagles withstand a barrage of threes by the Falcons who made three of their first five attempts from long range and six of 13 for the half to take a 28-19 lead with 9:32 remaining in the frame. At the 6:55 mark,
David Butler scored two of his 17 first-half points to spark an 8-1 run that pulled the Eagles to within one. Both teams traded baskets on the next few possessions before the Falcons rebuilt their lead to seven points. Embry-Riddle scored four unanswered points over the next two possessions to make it a three-point (38-35) game at the half.
It didn't take the Eagles long to take over the lead in the second half as the defense forced three straight turnovers while the offense took advantage of a
Glenn Dalcourt jumper and a
Blake Touchard three to move ahead 40-38.
With 16:16 left on the clock Florida College's Joey Anderkavich made a layup to tie the score at 43, but that was as close as they would get as over the next eight minutes, the Eagles steadily built a 10-point lead. The Blue and Gold were by far the better team on the boards, outrebounding the home team 44-28 and holding Florida College to just three offensive rebounds. ERAU's dominance on the boards was in evidence on
Eric Lorenzi's rebound and tip-in at the 8:14 mark that keyed a 22-6 Eagle run. During that six-minute span, the Eagles missed just four of their 11 shot attempts and turned the ball over once to put the game out of reach.
For the second time in as many games,
David Butler led the scoring with 26 points, while Lorenzi and Touchard tallied 13 points each. Butler and
Brett Rawlings led the way on the boards with nine apiece. The Eagles also got great offensive production from the bench, which outscored the Falcons' substitutes 23-4.
Pete Alexandrou was the top scorer for the Falcons, contributing 24 points before leaving the game with an injury. Jesse Hastings added 20 points and Blake Elrod pulled down eight rebounds.
The Eagles continue their three-game road swing with a pair of contests in Azusa, Calif. as they compete in the Cougar Classic hosted by Azusa Pacific. The Eagles take on the host and 24th-ranked Cougars at 7:30 p.m. (PST) on Friday followed by No. 17 Biola at 1 p.m. (PST) on Saturday.
