WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team dropped its fifth game in six tries on Wednesday, as Palm Beach Atlantic held off an Eagle rally to come away wtih a 72-66 decision at Rubin Arena. The Eagles (11-7) struggled shooting the ball from the field, going just 22-for-60, including a 5-for-18 effort from deep en route to just their sixth loss ever at the hands of the Sailfish (11-7). ERAU trailed by as many as 13 in the second period, but got to within two with 26 seconds left, but the Sailfish went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to close out the game.

Ognjen Miljkovic scored a game-high 17 points for the Eagles, 12 of which came in the second half, while Skyler Hogan dropped in a career-high 13 points and Dalton Barnes added 10 for the Blue and Gold.

PBA started the game on a 4-0 run thanks to Malek Barber, but Barnes answered with a 4-0 run of his own to tie the game at the 18:28 mark. The next 10 minutes featured tough defense from both teams as the two sides couldn't get into a rhythm offensively, and it wasn't until a Miljkovic triple at the 5:43 mark that either team led by more than one possession. Miljkovic's three put ERAU in front, 20-16, and after a pair of free throws from Joseph Gonzalez, the Eagles had their largest lead of the contest at six.

Embry-Riddle got a layup from Miljkovic with 41 seconds left in the half to go up 26-24, but Nigel Sydnor hit a three from the corner at the buzzer to give the hosts a one-point lead at the break, 27-26.

Barnes started the second half with a jumper that gave ERAU back the lead, and the Eagles were able to stretch it to four on a Dillon Graham three a few minutes into the second period.

Reed Ridder's trey at the 16:12 mark ballooned the Blue and Gold advantage to five at 33-28, but back-to-back threes from the Sailfish swung the momentum PBA's way.

Leading 40-39 with 14 minutes to go, ERAU saw it's lead slip away as Palm Beach Atlantic went on a 15-3 run over the next three minutes to take a 56-43 lead on a Dakota Zinser layup.

The Eagles chipped away at the deficit over the next few minutes, and eventually got to within two possessions as Daniel Kiesling made a free throw with 1:15 to go to make it 66-60. Following a free throw from Yepes, Miljkovic hit a three from the top of the key before Barber went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe. The Eagles came down and Miljkovic was fouled on a three attempt, making all three free throws to cut the deficit to 66-64 with 26 seconds to go. But the Sailfish made all four of their free throws to seal the win.

Kiesling grabbed 10 boards and added seven points for the Eagles while Barnes finished with five assists and four steals in addition to his 10 points.

Embry-Riddle is back in action on the road on Saturday, Jan. 30 as it takes on Rollins in Winter Park at 4 p.m.