WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team has started the 2021-22 season 4-0, with all four wins coming against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the NCAA II preseason polls. On Saturday, it was the Eagle defense that took center stage, holding the 22nd-ranked Lee Flames (1-1) to just 36% from the floor and only 23% from deep en route to a 79-66 victory in both team's final game of the GSC/SSC Classic. ERAU is now 6-0 all-time in the Classic, and improves to 10-1 all-time in 'pre-season' tournaments in the NCAA era.

The game hinged on a pair of key Eagle runs, one to end the first half, and the other late in the second. The latter occurred when the Flames, battling from behind the entire second half, were able to get within one possession with 6:40 left in the contest.

Lee had just made it a 63-60 ERAU lead on a pair of Quay Kennedy free throws. But starting immediately after that, the Eagle defense dominated the next five minutes, turning a close game into a blowout by not allowing the Flames to score a single point until the 1:08 mark.

Jon Alessandro started the Eagle run by grabbing an offensive rebound and laying the ball in  for an easy two, and following a shot clock violation forced by the Eagle defense Malcolm Whitlow came through with a wide open three-pointer to push the advantage to 68-60.

Another turnover by the Flames led to a Whitlow fast break layup from an Alessandro pass and just like that the lead was 10.

Whitlow made a pair of free throws around the four-minute mark and Nikola Jerotic had a put-back after an ERAU miss to balloon the cushion to 74-60.

By the time the Flames finally were able to score again the game was effectively over as both squad's benches finished out the contest.

The first half was played very evenly until the Eagles ended the period on a 14-3 run, but before that neither team led by more than a few points.

Jerotic's three at the 17:17 mark broke a 4-4 tie, but the Flames responded with six straight to take a 10-7 lead.

After Elijah Jenkins tied the game with a triple of his own, making it 12-12, the Eagles got a dunk by Jerotic off a nice feed from Alessandro to go up 14-12.

The next two minutes featured five lead changes, and the game was tied at 20-20 at the midway mark of the opening half. 

For the next few minutes of game action neither team could get much to go offensively, relying mainly on free throws to score.

Lee went up 27-23 with just over six to play in the first before an offensive rebound by David Park led to an Alessandro trey as the Eagles got back to within a point. However, Lee answered with a three of its own, taking a 30-26 lead at the 4:37 mark.

Park again found the open man on the next Eagle possession, this time it was Jenkins, and the senior made a three-pointer to start an 11-0 Blue and Gold run. 

The Eagles forced the Flames into six tough shots over the following two-plus minutes and Lee missed them all, meanwhile, ERAU got buckets from Alessandro, Michael McCalister, and Nick Heard to take a 38-30 lead with about two minutes to go before the break.

Lee finally got back in the scoring column with an and-one by Michael Mcguirk, but Romeo Crouch would account for the final points of the half with a driving layup, absorbing contact from several Lee defenders, to put the Blue and Gold up by seven at half, 40-33.

The Eagles came out of the half and stretched the lead to 10 on an Alessandro and-one, and Heard had a couple of buckets in the early going of the period to grow the lead to a dozen on a couple of occasions.

Crouch was able to to break the Embry-Riddle record for consecutive games with a made three-pointer (34) when he hit his lone three of the day at the 7:25 mark of the second half. He finished with a game-best plus-22 for the Blue and Gold.

Jenkins finished with 16 points, five boards and two steals, while Alessandro had the first double-double of his season with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

Also reaching double-figures was Heard who finished with 12 points and three rebounds, while Jerotic had nine points, and six rebounds. McCalister had seven rebounds, five points, and an assist off the bench, and Whitlow's eight points all came late in crucial moments.

The Eagles will finally return home to the ICI Center for their home opener on Friday, Nov. 19 against Spring Hill as part of the 2021 Bahama House Shootout. It will be 629 days between countable home games for Embry-Riddle.

The 2021-22 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.