DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite Nashad Mackey's 13th double-double of the season, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team couldn't find enough offensive weapons to overcome the visiting Florida Tech Panthers, falling by a score of 80-63. The Blue and Gold fell to 8-10 on the season and 2-8 in SSC play, while FIT improved to 10-8, 5-5 in conference.
 
Mackey scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, while Joshua Hawkins tallied 17 points, including 10 in the second half, and Rudy Bibb-Boyd added 11 points and four assists.
 
The Panthers ran out to an early 8-0 lead only to see Embry-Riddle rally back with an 11-2 run to take an 11-10 lead with 13:30 left in the first half. FIT scored eight straight points in the next 75 seconds to pull ahead, 18-11, and the visitors would stay out in front for the rest of the half, carrying a 31-29 lead into the locker room.
 
Elijah Jenkins knocked down a three for the first points of the second half, putting the Eagles ahead 31-29, and Luka Majstorovic followed with a jumper on the next possession to increase the lead to 34-31. Unfortunately for Embry-Riddle, that would prove to be ERAU's final lead of the night. FIT used a 7-2 spurt to take a 38-35 lead just under four minutes into the second half, and by the midway point of the period the advantage had increased to double-digits (59-49). Florida Tech continued to slowly pull away throughout the game's final minutes, eventually leaving Daytona Beach with an 80-63 win.
 
The Eagles will wrap up this four-game home stand next Wednesday, Jan. 24, when they host Palm Beach Atlantic at 7:30 p.m.

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