FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team is still dancing, and will play for a NCAA II regional title on Tuesday after knocking off seventh-seeded Alabama Huntsville, 82-67 on Sunday evening at Rick Case Arena. The Eagles (24-9) blasted the Chargers (23-11) in the second half, outscoring them by 20 in the period, and advancing to the NCAA II Sweet 16 in the program's first-ever played NCAA tournament.

Romeo Crouch scored a game-high 25 points, grabbed seven boards, and recorded five assists, while fellow guards Elijah Jenkins and Malcolm Whitlow combined for 31 points, 10 rebounds, and five helpers.

Embry-Riddle will take on the winner of (1) Nova Southeastern and (5) Union (Tenn.) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15 for a berth to the NCAA II National Tournament final site in Evansville, Indiana.

The Eagles trailed by five at the half, and as many as ten early in the second, but a massive 25-2 run that spanned nine minutes pushed the Blue and Gold to its second straight blowout of a Gulf South Conference school in the postseason.

A three-pointer from the Chargers at the 15:11 mark gave them a 51-43 lead, but for the next nine minutes, the Eagle defense was nearly impenetrable, holding UAH to just two points, while the offense took off on the other end of the floor.

Crouch started the run with a pull up three in transition, and then Jenkins followed suit to cut the deficit to two. After two straight offensive rebounds, Crouch found Chris Murray in the lane, and Murray converted a layup to knot the score at 51-51 with 13:18 on the clock.

A Crouch steal led to a Michael McCalister bucket and the Eagles had their first lead since midway through the first half. On the next UAH possession, Whitlow picked the pocket of Jack Kostel and found Crouch for an easy fastbreak layup, causing the Chargers to burn a timeout.

But the ERAU momentum wasn't stopped.

Crouch and Whitlow combined for the next six Embry-Riddle points as the Eagles grew its lead to 61-53, and when Jenkins converted two free throws around the nine-minute mark, the lead was up to double-digits.

Yet another Eagle defensive stop preceded a sensational play by Whitlow. The sophomore guard drove baseline, but went to the floor due to a wet spot, after a brief scuffle for the ball, Whitlow hoisted a shot while seated on the ground, and it found nothing by net as the Eagle crowd exploded behind the bench.

Crouch's trey at the 5:15 mark was the dagger, as the ERAU lead was 73-55, and the final five minutes remained all ERAU, culminating in a three-pointer from Calvin Freeman II in the closing seconds.

In the first half, the Chargers were able to get better looks against the Eagle defense, going up 16-7 on a Max Shulman three-pointer with 14:35 remaining. But the Eagles responded and briefly took a slim lead with five minutes to go, however, the Chargers ended the half by outscoring ERAU by seven, taking a 40-35 lead into the break.

Embry-Riddle shot 42% for the game, and hit 14 three-pointers on the night. The Eagles turned a tied rebounding battle at the half into a nine-rebound advantage in the second. McCalister grabbed 11 boards for the Blue and Gold, including five big offensive rebounds.

Whitlow finished +25 while on the floor for ERAU, with Nikola Jerotic (+21), Jon Alessandro (+16) contributing huge minutes off the bench.