ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida - The 50th all-time meeting between the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team and its counterpart from Flagler on Tuesday night was yet another entrant in the ever-growing instant classics the two programs have played in over the last three-plus decades. The No. 6/15 Eagles (6-1) were short-handed, yet battled last year's NCAA II National Semifinalist Saints (4-2) down to the wire before a last-second layup sent the Blue and Gold to its first loss of the 2021-22 season.
Jaizec Lottie drove the length of the floor and laid the ball up and in with 0.8 seconds remaining for his 39th and 40th points of the night to give the Saints their 19th victory in the 50-game series against ERAU. Elijah Jenkins had just calmly hit three free throws with 5.8 seconds left to tie the game before Lottie's heroics.
The Eagles mounted a surprising comeback in the final moments, trailing by eight points (76-68) with just 22 seconds left, getting two free throws from Romeo Crouch, an offensive rebound on the last Crouch free throw that missed and then a three from Jenkins with 18 seconds left to cut the deficit to three at 76-73.
Following an Eagle foul of Lottie with 14 seconds on the clock, the Flagler guard missed the front-end of a one-and-one and David Park grabbed the rebound. ERAU got the ball into Jenkins' hands with six seconds left and the senior, who was several feet beyond the arc, lifted a shot that narrowly missed, grazing the back iron, but in the process of shooting, Jenkins was fouled and was sent to the line for three shots where he connected on all three, despite a Flagler timeout in the middle of them.
Embry-Riddle, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and No. 15 in the NABC Coaches' Poll, shot the ball very well in the first half, hitting nine triples, and taking an eight-point lead into the break.
The lead was once 17 in the opening period, but the hosts ended the half on a 9-0 run on the back of three of their own treys to take some momentum into the lockerroom.
Nikola Jerotic's layup at the 17-minute mark tied the game at 8-8, and the Eagles scored the next nine points, capped by a Crouch three that made it 17-8 with 14:51 left in the first.
Crouch hit another three with just under 11 minutes remaining, as ERAU doubled-up the Saints, 22-11, and when Crouch hit his final three of the first half with 2:09 on the clock, the Eagles enjoyed a 38-21 lead. However, that would be the last points ERAU would score in the period as the Saints got three-pointers from Spencer Bain, and two from Lottie to cut the Eagle lead to 38-30 at the half.
Flagler would continue the momentum from the first half to start the second, outscoring Embry-Riddle 10-2 to tie things up on a Lottie trey.
The Eagles settled in and would go out to a 49-44 advantage on a Jerotic layup, and the lead would extend to 55-48 on two Crouch free throws at the mid-way point of the second half.
Down 61-53 at the 7:33 mark, the Saints started hitting shots from deep, making three straight three-pointers to make it a one-point game, 63-62, and taking the lead on a Lottie layup with 5:43 left.
The Saints' 19-4 run late in the game put them up 72-65 before a Crouch three at 1:51 made it a four-point deficit for the Eagles.
The Saints caught a break on their next possession when the Eagles poked the ball away but it landed right in the hands of Jalen Barr under the hoop and his layup made it 74-68 Flagler. Bain's two free throws with 27 seconds left were the final Saint points before Lottie's last-second game-winner.
ERAU shot 39% from the floor, but 44% from deep, while hitting 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
Crouch led the Eagles with 26 points to go with six assists, three rebounds and two steals, while Michael McCalister, making the first start of his collegiate career was sensational, especially in the first half, finishing the game with 18 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Jenkins was the only other Eagle in double-digits with 11 points, five assists and four boards. Jerotic went for nine points and nine rebounds.
Lottie had 40 of Flagler's 78 points, with Barr adding 10 points, and Chase Fiddler finishing with eight.
The Eagles return home to host Florida National on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. in the ICI Center.
The 2021-22 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
