DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Despite five players in double-figures and a big rebounding advantage, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team dropped a close game to Saint Leo on Saturday night in the ICI Center, 82-78. The game featured 14 lead changes and 13 ties as Saint Leo (4-3, 2-0) ended the game on a 5-0 run to earn its third straight win over the Eagles (2-2, 0-2). The Eagles suffered their worst-shooting performance of the season, managing just 39 percent from the field and 28 percent from the three-point area.

Trailing by six at the half, the Eagles battled back early on in the second half, taking a 43-42 lead on an Ognjen Miljkovic jumper in the lane with 15:39 remaining, and from there on the two teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle as neither team trailed by more than a possession until the final 60 seconds.

A Miljkovic triple at the 9:04 mark gave the hosts a 56-54 lead, but two free throws from Ty Brice knotted things up before Nashad Mackey knocked down a three for the home team. Daniel Duarte answered for the Lions on the other end, and that's how it went for the next nine minutes.

Junior Searcy's free throws at the 1:43 mark pushed the SLU lead to 77-74, but Joshua Hawkins connected on a pair of free throws a few moments later before a defensive stop by the Eagles led to a Rudy Bibb-Boyd layup on the other end, giving ERAU a 78-77 lead. The layup from Bibb-Boyd was the first Eagle field goal since th 3:53 mark, and unfortunately for the Eagles, would prove to be the last points of the night for the hosts.

Saint Leo came down and got a huge three from DeAndre King to retake a one-point lead, and the Eagles turned the ball over on their next possession before being forced to foul. Kyran McClure made both free throws with six seconds left to ice the game and account for the 82-78 final.

ERAU had to dig out of the hole it built for itself after the first half, trialing 39-33 at the break. The Eagles shot just 37 percent in the opening period, and despite making six threes, was behind due to the Lions' 6-for-6 effort at the free throw line.

Both teams were solid at the charity stripe, with SLU going 18-for-22 and ERAU ending 22-for-27, but it was the Lions' 10 triples compared to just eight for the Eagles that were the difference.

Bibb-Boyd paced the Eagles on offense for the fourth time in as many games with 19 points, both Mackey and Luka Majstorovic finished with double-doubles of 11 points, 12 rebounds and 11 points, 10 rebounds, respectively. Miljkovic added 16 points, nine boards and four assists, while Hawkins ended the night with 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles will look to return to the win column on Tuesday, Nov. 21 against Ave Maria in the ICI Center.

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