DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Led by 23 points from Reed Ridder and 21 points from Joseph Gonzalez, the second-ranked Embry-Riddle men's basketball team improved to 17-0 overall and 5-0 in Sun Conference play with a 96-71 victory over Webber International on Saturday night at the ICI Center.
Ridder's 23 points tied a career high that he previously set against Alice Lloyd on Dec. 12, 2014. The junior was 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-9 from behind the arc, while also picking up five steals and three assists. Joseph Gonzalez added a season-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while also grabbing a game-high nine rebounds in 21 minutes. Dalton Barnes chipped in 11 points and six assists and DeForest Carter had 11 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Nathaniel Morrell led the Warriors (7-11, 4-2) with 18 points and seven boards while Raymond Durant (13 points) and Dewaine Lyals (11 points) also reached double-figures in scoring.
The Eagles jumped out front on a Daniel Kielsing three-pointer just 36 seconds into the game and never trailed. The Warriors tied it at 9-9 before a 6-0 ERAU run put the home team back in front, 15-9.
A layup from Gonzalez just over halfway through the first period extended the Eagle lead to double-digits (29-18), and just over 90 seconds later the Blue and Gold had run out to a 20-point advantage (38-18). A Gonzalez triple capped the 19-0 Eagle run to push the lead to 41-18 with 7:02 left in the half.
Kielsing knocked down a jumper with 3:47 to play before halftime that built the lead up to 31 points (53-22) and the Eagles would go into the break with a comfortable 55-31 advantage.
The Warriors scored the first eight points of the second half, trimming the deficit to 55-39, but that would be the closest they would get. After a long scoreless drought for both teams, the Eagles went on an 8-0 run to reestablish a 24-point cushion (63-39) with 15:16 left.
A Ridder trey got the Blue and Gold back to a 30-point lead (75-45) halfway through the second period. Brian Johnson scored a layup with 6:19 to play that made it 80-48, which was the largest lead of the game for ERAU. The Eagles cruised through the final few minutes of the contest, eventually coming away with a convincing 96-71 victory.
The Eagles shot a blistering 59.6% from the field (34-for-57), including 46.4% from beyond the arc (13-for-28). ERAU racked up 29 assists and 16 steals in the game, while grabbing 35 rebounds.
The Warriors, who are 4-2 in league play with both losses coming at the hands of Embry-Riddle, shot 46.2% (30-65) and 22.2% from 3-point range (6-for-27). WIU had 13 assists against 20 turnovers with seven steals and 31 rebounds.
The Blue and Gold hit the road on Tuesday, Jan. 20, when they travel to Thomasville, Georgia for a conference clash with Thomas.
