DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite 24 points from
Skyler Hogan and a double-double from
Dalton Barnes, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team suffered a 77-71 setback at the hands of visiting Saint Leo on Saturday night. The loss moves ERAU's season record to 10-7 while SLU improves to 9-10.
Hogan led the way with 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting while Barnes tallied a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists to go along with six rebounds.
Luka Majstorovic chipped in with 13 points and
Shaquan McArthur added eight points and seven boards.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with both sides trading slim leads. Hogan knocked down a jumper with 5:25 to play in the half to put ERAU ahead by a single point (30-29), but the Lions followed that with a 12-2 run to pull ahead, 41-32. The Blue and Gold rallied back with seven consecutive points to cut the deficit to just two (41-39) before heading to the locker room down just four points (43-39).
Embry-Riddle came out of the halftime break and scored seven of the first nine points of the second half to retake the lead, 46-44. The lead changed hands four more times in the next 76 seconds, with a Majstorovic jumper putting ERAU ahead, 50-49. The Eagles extended the lead to as much as eight (57-49) before Saint Leo stopped the momentum. The Lions clawed away at the deficit, eventually regaining the lead with 7:51 on the clock on a Justin Satchell layup to go up 62-60. The Lion lead grew as large as six points, but ERAU battled back and eventually tied it at 69 on a Hogan fast break layup with 3:47 to play. Satchell hit a pair of free throws on the next possession, but Barnes answered back with two free throws at the 2:30 mark to tie the game once again, this time at 71. Unfortunately for the Eagles, those would be the final points scored by the Blue and Gold as Saint Leo closed out the game on a 6-0 run over the final two-and-a-half minutes to claim the road victory, 77-71.
The Eagles are on the road for their next three contests, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. game at Eckerd on Wednesday, Jan. 25.