DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -
Malcolm Whitlow scored 23,
Wesley Simpson reached 1,000 career points, and the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team finished up the 2022 ERAU Holiday Classic with an 80-70 win over Tusculum on Saturday evening. The Eagles (9-2) trailed 3-0, but that was the only time they Blue and Gold would be behind in the ICI Center on the night, as Head Coach
Steve Ridder's squad held the Pioneers (5-4) to just 37% shooting from the floor and an abysmal 18% shooting from deep.
After the initial 3-0 deficit, Simpson tied things quickly with a three of his own, and
Chris Murray put the Eagles up with a layup off a
Jon Alessandro assist a few minutes later. Whitlow's layup at the 15:07 mark pushed the lead to 9-3, but the visitors answered with a 5-0 spurt to make it a one-point contest.
ERAU held a slim lead over the next few moments, but the Pioneers knotted things up at 21-21 on a Jalen Crowder jumper in the paint with 6:30 on the clock.
Dru Nickson found Alessandro for a jumper to retake the lead for the Eagles, and
Jack Dillard scored four straight points to give the home team some breathing room.
The Eagle cushion grew to nine on Whitlow's first three of the game with 73 seconds left to play in the first, but an off-balance three at the buzzer for the visitors cut the Eagle lead down to 40-34 heading into the break.
Embry-Riddle was determined to come out of the locker room with momentum and the hosts took their lead out to double-digits when Whitlow hit a jumper in the paint to make it 46-36. The Blue and Gold reeled off back-to-back triples from Simpson and Whitlow to ballon the lead to as many as 14 at 56-42 before the Pioneers could stop the bleeding.
The Eagles held Tusculum at arm's length the rest of the way, never allowing the Pioneers to get any closer than seven, while going up as many as 17 when
Jared Berry made good on an and-one off a Simpson pass, pushing the advantage to 75-58 with under five to play.
TU got the deficit under 10 a few times around the one minute mark, but the home team was never in any real danger as the Eagles took the 80-70 win.
Embry-Riddle won the rebounding battle 44-39, dishing out 19 assists, seven coming from Nickson.
Whitlow added five rebounds, four assists and three steals to his 23 points, while Murray finished with 14 points and seven boards. Dillard scored 10 points off the bench, while Berry chipped in eight points and six rebounds to the ERAU cause.
The Eagles will return from the Holiday break on Friday, Dec. 30 when they host Barry on Steve & Vicky Ridder Court for a 6 p.m. tilt.
The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
