CLEVELAND, Tennessee - Nashad Mackey showed the South Region why he's one of the best players in the country on Friday night, leading the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team to a crucial, 74-72 road win at Lee to begin the Eagles' two-game weekend at the Sunshine State Conference/Gulf South Conference Classic. Mackey dropped 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while coming up with three blocks with no turnovers as the Eagles (3-1) held off a charging Lee (0-1) on their home floor to earn the region win.

It took last year's ERAU team until it's last road game of the season to claim it's first road win, but the 2018-19 version of the Blue and Gold did it in it's first attempt at Lee's Paul Dana Walker Arena, led by Mackey, Alston Jones and Luka Majstorovic.

Majstorovic and Mackey got the first two buckets for the Eagles, and Mackey made it 5-2 ERAU when he completed the three-point play at the foul line a few minutes into the contest. After Lee briefly took the lead at 6-5, Jones nailed a triple off a pass from Majstorovic, and Mackey followed with a three of his own at the 13:54 mark of the first half for an 11-10 Eagle lead.

The home team took it's biggest lead of the game at 15-11 on a DaAron Maston trey, but two free throws from Mackey and a put-back from Chris Murray tied things up at 15-15.

Mackey's three with 11 minutes to go in the first pushed the visitors in front, 18-17 and the Blue and Gold never trailed in the game again.

ERAU held a 26-25 lead with five minutes left before the half, but the Eagles ended the period on a 13-5 run, started with a jumper from Jones and capped by Cole Hunter's three-ball with 24 ticks left that made it 39-30, the score at the break.

Mackey led all players with 17 points in the first half as the Eagles held the Flames to just 35 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three to take a nine-point cushion into the lockerroom.

Majstorovic got things started in the second half with a converted and-one to grow the Eagle lead to 42-30, and Embry-Riddle was able to weather the early second-half surge from Lee, holding a 49-39 advantage after a Jones three at the 14-minute mark.

The Eagle lead was as many as 13 when Majstorovic made a layup with 7:35 to play (62-49), but starting around the six-minute mark the hosts made a run, trimming their deficit to four at 65-61 when Michael McGuirk made good on a layup at 3:51 on the clock.

McGuirk cut things even closer with another lay in a minute later, but Mackey answered with his biggest shot of the night, a three-ball from the wing as the shot clock was winding down, giving ERAU a little breathing room at 68-63.

On the next Lee possession, McGuirk was fouled on a three-point attempt, making all three at the line to cut the Eagle lead to 68-66 with two minutes left. ERAU once again went to Mackey and the senior from Nassau, Bahamas was fouled and made both free throws to keep the Eagles in front.

Lee's Cody Jones hit a three with 64 seconds left to make it a one-point game at 70-69, and the Flames got the stop they wanted on their defensive end. With 22 seconds to play, Lee's Ryan Montgomery got the ball on the block working against Mackey with a chance to put the Flames in front for the first time since early in the first half. Montgomery's pump fake got Mackey in the air, but Mackey still managed to block Montgomery's shot, and after Montgomery's second attempt was missed he deflected the ball out of bounds for Eagle possession.

The Eagles got the ball into Cj Henagan who was immediately fouled and the redshirt-freshman calmly stepped to the line and made the front-end of the one-and-one before making the second, pushing the lead to 72-69.

McGuirk was off-target on his three that would have tied it with nine seconds to go, and Henagan grabbed the board before being fouled to earn another trip to the charity stripe. Henagan again had no problems drowning out the crowd, making both free throws to secure the win. Lee made an uncontested three at the buzzer to account for the 74-72 final score.

Mackey was joined in double-figures by Jones with 19 points and Majstorovic with 13. For Mackey, it was his fourth double-double of the 2018-19 season (27th as an Eagle). As a team, the Eagles went 19-for-22 at the free throw line.

ERAU wraps up the SSC-GSC Classic tomorrow, Sateurday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. against West Georgia.