GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team was able to hold off a furious rally from American (P.R.) on Friday afternoon at Mario Morales Coliseum, escaping with a 77-76 win. The Eagles (6-4) had as much as a 17-point lead in the second half and led by 13 with 2:26 left, but American (1-1) finished the game on a 14-2 run to put a scare into the Blue and Gold as ERAU opened its two-game stay in Puerto Rico.

American had no answer for Luka Majstorovic as the freshman exploded for a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and 6-of-11 at the charity stripe. Majstorovic was a big reason the Eagles took a 10-point lead into the half as he scored 11 points to lead ERAU to a 37-27 halftime advantage.

Dillon Graham and Skyler Hogan hit back-to-back threes to give the Eagles a 10-5 lead just over three minutes into the game, but American stayed right with the Eagles for most of the first 10 minutes, actually going up 19-17 on a three-pointer from Jeremy Agosto. However, the Blue and Gold responded by looking to Brian Johnson and Shaquan McArthur as the pair combined for seven quick points before Majstorovic and Hogan made a pair of layups to give ERAU a 32-25 lead at the 3:30 mark of the first half.

Leading by eight with the last possession of the period, Majstorovic grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed trey and made a put-back to give ERAU the 37-27 cushion at the break.

Embry-Riddle opened the second half with a 14-7 run, capped by a Majstorovic free throw that gave the Eagles their biggest lead of teh day at 51-34. ERAU enjoyed a comfortable lead for nearly the entire second half, and a Majstorovic layup with 2:26 to go gave the Eagles a 75-62 advantage.

American would go on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes, forcing five ERAU turnovers in that span, creeping to within 75-71 on two free throws from Jose Ortiz. Cole Hunter went 1-of-2 at the line to stop the run, but a jumper by Alex Romero made it a one-possession game with seven seconds left. On the ensuing Eagle possession, McArthur was fouled and was able to ice the game at the free throw line before Luis Cotto made a three at the buzzer that was ultimately meaningless for the 77-76 final.

Joining Majstorovic in double-figures offensively were McArthur with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists and Dalton Barnes who finished with 10 points, six assists, five steals and four boards. Hogan scored nine points to go along with 13 rebounds, while Graham added nine points and seven boards.

Embry-Riddle takes on Central Bayamon (P.R.) tomorrow at 12 p.m. (EST) at Mario Morales Coliseum.