CARROLLTON, Ga. – The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team enjoyed its largest season-opening road win since 1995 on Friday night, dismantling West Georgia to the tune of 85-60 at The Coliseum in the Gulf South-Sunshine State Conference Classic. The Eagles (1-0) earned program win No. 700 thanks to a stifling defensive effort, holding the Wolves (0-1) to just 31 percent from the floor and turning 15 turnovers into 21 points en route to their 17^th straight season-opening victory.
 
Eagle newcomer Romeo Crouch led the Eagles with 17 points, hitting four triples to go along with four assists and four steals. Luka Majstorovic began his senior season with 14 points, eight rebounds and three rejections in just 14 minutes of play. David Park was the other Eagle in double-figures with 12 points, all coming on three-pointers.
 
It was a dominant defensive first half for the visitors as ERAU held the Wolves to just 25 percent from the field (6-for-24) and forced 12 West Georgia turnovers, turning those into a dozen points on the other end.
 
It was an even first six minutes as UWG held a slim, 15-12 lead at the 13:29 mark, but starting then and running for the next seven minutes, the Eagles kept UWG at 15 points, out-scoring the home team 17-0. Starting with a David Park triple, and followed by four straight free throws from Danny Sully, ERAU took a 20-15 lead with just under 10 minutes left. 
 
A Nick Heard triple pushed the Eagle lead to 23-15 before Sully picked off a UWG pass, and Elijah Jenkins finished the fast break to make it a 10-point cushion. 
 
The lead built to 14 (29-15) before UWG cut the lead in half, capped by two Kadeim Jones free throws to make it 29-22 with three minutes left to play in the period. The next possession was a critical one for ERAU and Sully hit a tough jumper in the lane before Romeo Crouch picked the pocket of Rodney Wiley, taking it the other way for a breakaway slam and a 33-22 lead.
 
UWG would get just one more free throw the rest of the half and Jenkins made a jumper before Tylin Lockett-Fuller connected on a layup with just over two seconds left to account for the 37-23 score at the half.
 
West Georgia didn't have many answers for the Eagle defense in the second half, and ERAU put the game away from beyond the arc, doubling-up the Wolves from three in the second period.
 
A 6-0 Eagle run early on in the half, sparked by Majstorovic and Jenkins ballooned the lead to 20 at 45-25 and the closest UWG would get the rest of the way was 13, but then Chris Murray took over. The sophomore from Miami made two free throws and then completed the old fashioned three-point play on the next possession for a 50-32 lead.
 
Tylin Lockett-Fuller put the nail in the coffin a few moments later with a three, pushing the lead to 18, and a Park trey at the 12:17 mark made it 58-37 and the crowd at The Coliseum started to filter out.
 
All 13 players that suited up for the Eagles played and scored, including the three true freshmen Dru Nickson, DeJean Desiré and Makerere Williams. Nickson scored four points with five rebounds and five assists.
 
ERAU improved to 2-0 all-time against West Georgia and Majstorovic moved into a tie for eighth all-time in career blocks with 85 (Kyle Mas).
 
Embry-Riddle will look to make it two wins in a row tomorrow when they take on Lee (Tenn.) at 4 p.m. in their final game of the GSC-SSC Classic.