DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A balanced scoring performance led the third ranked Embry Riddle men's basketball team to a 95–65 win over No. 20 Tennessee Wesleyan (3-3) in the 2013 Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout, Friday at the ICI center. All 11 players who took the floor for the Eagles got their names in the scoring column, helping the Blue and Gold to a perfect 6-0 record on the year.
The Eagles shot the ball well from the field, connecting on 31 of their 56 field goal attempts. As a team the Eagles were 55.4% from the field, including 53.8% clip from beyond the arc.
Jason Powell led the way with 17 points, his second highest single-game total of the season.
DeForest Carter finished one rebound short of a double-double, totaling 14 points, nine boards, six assists and three steals in the win. The Eagles also got good production off their bench, which contributed 41 points led by
Hudson Cadet and
Reed Ridder who chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Eagles had to overcome a somewhat sluggish start on the way to their highest scoring output of the season. ERAU got the first bucket of the game on a Powell three but missed eight of their next 10 field goals, which allowed the Bulldogs to take a two-point (14-12) lead. At the 12:25 mark, Powell scored two of his 12 first-half points, which keyed an 18-8 run that gave the Eagles a 32-22 lead.
The Bulldogs managed to close the gap to three (32-29) with 5:10 left in the first half, but the Eagles pulled away again, leading by as many as 12 before heading into the locker room with an eight-point (44-36) cushion.
The Blue and Gold came storming out after the break, outscoring TWC 17-2 to build a 23-point lead (61-38) in the first seven minutes of the second half. Dante Turnipseed hit a three-pointer at 12:48 mark, but that shot didn't slow the home team down and the Eagles continued to widen the gap, leading by as many as 31 points.
The Eagles were able to celebrate more than just the win as a pair of walk-ons helped cap the Eagles' scoring. Junior
Andy Schleitwiler got his first points of the season on a trey, and freshman
Drew Sciano knocked down a long-range shot of his own late in the game to help the Eagles to the 30-point win.
TWC's Andrew Scofield led all scorers with 18 points, including a 4-of-8 three-point shooting clip. Devante Jenkins recorded the game's only double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Eagles will close out play in the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout on Saturday when they take on Graceland in the championship game slated for 8 p.m. Graceland advanced to the championship game with a 78-71 win over Carroll, who will meet Tennessee Wesleyan in Saturday's consolation game at 6 p.m.
