DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was a battle for all 40 minutes Saturday night at the ICI Center, but the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team capped a nearly-flawless home season with a 98-89 defeat of No. 14 Nova Southeastern. The Eagles (19-9, 11-9) saw all five starters reach double-figures, and withstood a few late rallies from Nova Southeastern (21-5, 15-5) to pick up their 15th win in friendly territory, the second-most in NCAA Division II this season. Saturday's win was also the Eagles' fifth win over a team currently ranked in the South Region.
 
In his final regular-season game in Daytona Beach Luka Majstorovic's led the way with his 11th double-double of the season. The Belgrade, Serbia native went off for 26 points and 11 rebounds, including 7 of 10 from the charity stripe. Romeo Crouch also posted a double-double, as he netted 21 and dished out 11 assists. Nick Heard finished with 18 points, Elijah Jenkins with 14 and Chris Murray posted 10, the those five combined to shoot nearly 57% from the floor for the game.
 
It was only fitting that on senior night, Majstorovic scored the first points of the game, using his signature jump hook to give ERAU the first lead. After going back and forth for the first six minutes, Embry-Riddle opened things up, going on a 17-3 run starting at 13:47 to make it an 18-point contest at 29-11. Nick Heard got things started, and scored six of his 10 first-half points during the run, while Tylin Lockett-Fuller added five during the sequence. The Sharks defense allowed them to whittle away at the lead, as they were able to get back within a pair at the 1:35 mark on a Lukas Speidel layup. The teams exchanged baskets in the final 73 seconds of the half, and following a missed Shark three at the buzzer, the Blue & Gold took a 44-41 lead into the intermission.
 
Things remained close as the second half opened, with the Sharks finding their first lead of the contest at the 17:34 mark following a jumper by Mark Matthews to make it 49-48. Embry-Riddle retook the lead on their next possession on a pair of free throws from Murray. The home team never trailed for the remainder of the contest, but never led by more than eight until the final minute of the ballgame, when a pair of Crouch free throws pushed the lead to 12. Both teams were able to get up and down the floor in the final 20 minutes, combining to score 102 points in that stretch.
 
Next up for ERAU is the 2020 Sunshine State Conference Basketball Tournament, presented by Jimmy Johns. The Eagles, who will be making their first postseason appearance in the NCAA era, enter the tournament as the fifth seed and will travel to Miami Shores to take on Barry Tuesday.