WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - In a game that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team opened its two-game stretch in the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Classic with an 88-77 win over West Georgia on Friday evening at Palm Beach Atlantic's Rubin Arena. The Eagles (3-0) led by 23 at the break and by as many as 29 in the second half before the Wolves (0-1) clawed closer over the final 10 minutes after the game had already been decided.
Romeo Crouch led all scorers with 22 points on an 8-for-11 effort from the floor as the Eagles improved to 5-0 all-time in the GSC/SSC Classic. The Wolves, which were among those receiving votes in the NABC Preseason Coaches poll, led for a total of just 40 seconds early in the opening moments before a 15-0 Eagle run mid-way through the opening half pushed the Blue and Gold up big and Head Coach
Steve Ridder's team never looked back.
Jon Alessandro got the game going with a jumper, and following three free throws from Crouch, the Eagles led 5-0 before UWG responded with six straight to briefly take the lead.
Nikola Jerotic's first points of the game at the 16:31 mark of the first made it 9-8 ERAU and the Eagles never trailed again, getting a Crouch jumper and then two more layups from Jerotic and a jumper by
Nick Heard to enjoy a 17-8 lead.
Alessandro's triple around 12 minutes pushed the Eagle cushion to double-digits at 20-10, but over the next few moments the Wolves would cut the deficit in half, capped by a Quinton McElroy three-pointer to make it 23-15.
It was a
Cj Henagan trey-and-one that sparked the 15-0 run for ERAU from the eight-minute mark to the six-minute mark.
Elijah Jenkins and Crouch each added a three and Henagan connected on another and suddenly the Eagles found themselves up 38-18.
Two straight three's from Jenkins and
David Park, followed by a Crouch jumper in the paint gave Embry-Riddle its biggest lead of the first half, 49-22 with just over three to play and ERAU would take a 51-28 lead into the break.
Heard began the second half with a three, and whatever ideas of a comeback the Wolves had were quickly erased when that started ERAU on a 6-0 run to open the period.
Jerotic's dunk at the 16:29 mark was enough for a 61-32 advantage, and the Eagles maintained a healthy lead for the rest of the game. UWG would outscore the Blue and Gold 33-17 over the final 13 minutes with ERAU getting most of its minutes from the bench over the final quarter of the contest.
Crouch added seven assists to his game-high 22 points, along with six steals and a pair of rebounds. Jerotic finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Jenkins added 14 points and two steals. Alessandro grabbed nine rebounds and scored seven points.
Jerry Bracey II scored his first college point with a free throw in the second half.
The Eagles take on No. 22 Lee on Saturday, Nov. 13 in their final game of the GSC/SSC Classic. ERAU will try and knock off the fourth-straight team listed in the top-25 poll to begin the 2021-22 season.
The 2021-22 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
