BOCA RATON, Florida - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team owned the second half for the second consecutive outing, as the 25th-ranked Eagles rolled to an 84-62 road win over Lynn on Wednesday at the de Hoernle Center. The Eagles (15-4, 8-2 SSC) held the Fighting Knights (9-5, 3-7 SSC) to 18 points below their season average and just 38% shooting from the floor.
Romeo Crouch became just the second Eagle ever (Harold Pierson - Nov. 1-2, 2002)Â to score 30-plus points in back-to-back games, dropping 31 on the Fighting Knights, and leading ERAU to its sixth road win of the year, the most in the Blue and Gold's NCAA II era. The victory also snapped a six-game losing streak to Lynn.
Embry-Riddle sits alone in second place in the SSC standings at the midway point of the league schedule.Â
Unlike Saturday's game versus Palm Beach Atlantic, the Eagles got out of the gates quickly against Lynn, going up 11-4 on a put-back by Crouch with 14:23 left in the first. ERAU got the lead up to as many as 10 (34-24) in the period, but took just a five-point cushion into the break, 41-36.
The Eagles never trailed in the opening half, but the home team started the second on a 12-6 run to take their first lead of the contest, 48-47 with 17:40 on the clock. That brief lead was the only one Lynn would have on the night, with
Chris Murray's layup off a
Nikola Jerotic pass a few seconds later putting the visitors back in front, and they never looked back.
Murray's layup started a 12-2 run in which Embry-Riddle made eight consecutive field goals and capped by
Malcolm Whitlow's trey that made it 59-50 with 15 minutes to play.
The Eagles continued to grow the lead, and when Crouch hit a jumper in the paint with 12 minutes left, the Eagles were up 66-50.
The advantage stayed comfortable for ERAU the rest of the way as the Eagle defense never allowed the Fighting Knights to string together a run, only once did Lynn make two straight field goals over the final 15-plus minutes.
Embry-Riddle ended the night on a 12-0 run over the final five minutes of play, taking the 22-point win back to Daytona Beach.
Crouch added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals to his 31 points, while Jerotic finished with 14 points, five boards, and five assists. Whitlow tallied 12 points, and three helpers, and the Eagles as a team registered 20 assists on the night, turning the ball over a season-low four times.
ERAUÂ returns to the ICI Center to start a three-game home stand, beginning next Wednesday, Jan. 26 against Rollins. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
The 2021-22 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
