CLEVELAND, Tennessee – The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team overcame a poor shooting day from beyond the arc and a late deficit to down West Georgia, 72-67 on Saturday afternoon at the SSC-GSC Challenge, hosted by Lee (Tenn.). The Eagles moved to 4-1 on the young season thanks in large part to free throw shooting down the stretch, sending the Wolves to 1-1 and completing a perfect 2-0 weekend in Tennessee.
 
Embry-Riddle entered Saturday's contest shooting nearly 47 percent from long range, but the Eagles, playing their fifth game in eight days, managed just a 5-for-22 effort from deep. ERAU needed to combat UWG's Marquill Smith who scored 28 points and grabbed six rebounds while drawing nine fouls.
 
The Eagles were down 32-30 at the half, and despite tying things up and taking a brief, 40-38 lead on an Alston Jones layup with 15 minutes to play, found themselves down six, their biggest deficit of the day at 46-40 at the 13:12 mark.
 
Chris Murray made two big free throws to start the slow Eagle rally, and the freshman got ERAU within one at 47-46 on a short range jumper with just over 10 minutes to play.
 
UWG was able to hold the Eagles at arm's length over the next few minutes, answering every Eagle bucket with one of the Wolves' own, owning a 59-56 advantage with five minutes left.
 
Jones found Luka Majstorovic for an easy layup to cut the lead to one, and after a big block on Smith by Tylin Lockett-Fuller, the sophomore connected on a jumper in the paint to give the Eagles the lead, 60-59.
 
Smith tied the game with a made free throw, but Nashad Mackey did one better, making both his free throw attempts for a two-point ERAU lead at 62-60. Smith drilled an open triple at the 2:39 mark to retake the lead, but Jones came up clutch with a jumper on the next Eagle possession for a 64-63 advantage.
 
After the Eagles' defense got a stop, Majstorovic grabbed the Smith miss and was fouled, going to the line for a pair. Majstorovic went 2-for-2 to extend the Eagle lead to three at 66-63 before Smith went 1-for-2 at the line on the next UWG possession with 90 seconds to go. Majstorovic again was fouled on a rebound and again made it a perfect trip to the charity stripe as the Eagle lead grew to four.
 
Smith went 1-for-2 at the free throw line for the third straight time with 65 seconds left and after misses on both ends and turnovers for each side, the Eagles took timeout with 14 seconds left and a three-point lead, 68-65.
 
Following the timeout, the Eagles inbounded the ball to Lockett-Fuller and after he was fouled, the Kansas City native did what the Eagles did all weekend, made clutch free throws for a 70-65 lead.
 
Cj Henagan accounted for the last two Eagle points with some free throws after a Smith miss, and Aren Ulmer's jumper as time expired found its way through as ERAU took it, 72-67.
 
In the first half, the Wolves came back from an early 10-point deficit to take the lead into the break as ERAU's outside shooting struggles showed. Mackey led the Eagles with eight points and seven rebounds at the half.
 
Mackey finished with his fifth straight double-double to open the season, 14 points and 15 boards, while Lockett-Fuller had a season-high 13 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Jones went for 11 points, six rebounds and four helpers and Majstorovic was the final Eagle in double-figures with 10 points and six rebounds. Murray chipped in eight points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 shooting from the line.
 
The Eagles will play the last of their season-opening six-game road swing on Friday, Nov. 16 against Flagler at 7 p.m.