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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Athletics

Skoric_110323_IMG_1100
Cornnell Chu
73
Embry-Riddle ERAUM 0-1
85
Winner UWG UWG 1-0
Embry-Riddle ERAUM
0-1
73
Final
85
UWG UWG
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Embry-Riddle ERAUM 35 38 73
UWG UWG 40 45 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Kyrin Mayfield

Men’s Basketball Struggles From Floor in Season-Opening 85-73 Loss to West Georgia

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team tipped off the 2023-24 campaign with an 85-73 loss to West Georgia at the South Region Crossover on Friday night. It was the program's first season-opening loss since the 2002-03 season, capping the Eagles' season-opening win streak at 19. 

Embry-Riddle (0-1) shot just 39.3 percent overall but was efficient beyond the arc, making 44.4 percent of its 3-point attempts. ERAU also registered a healthy free throw percentage of 80.8. The Wolves (1-0) matched the Eagles from deep by also making 8-of-18 3-point shots and shot at an overall clip of 45.6 percent. 

West Georgia began the game with a successful 3-pointer, but Embry-Riddle had no trouble erasing the early deficit with a Danny Sully tip-in and a Malcolm Whitlow shot from behind the arc to tie the score at 5-5. Michael McCalister drew contact on a drive through the lane and still managed to convert on the layup. A successful free throw completed the three-point play, and ERAU had its largest lead of the game at 8-5 just 102 seconds in. However, that was the Eagles' last lead of the contest. 

Two layups, a jumper, and a 3-pointer set the Wolves on a 9-0 run to lead the Eagles 14-8. Soon after, Cameron Shockley-Okeke fought to erase the deficit by converting on a 3-point shot and a pair of free throws to help ERAU claw back and tie the score 16-16 with 13:39 remaining in the first half. 

From there, UWG regained its lead and stretched it to ten points (38-28) with under five minutes to go in the half. The Eagles continued to fight and were able to cut the Wolves' advantage in half down to five points (40-35) by halftime. Whitlow was the go-to option offensively over the first 20 minutes as the senior scored 15 points, 10 more than any other Eagle.

Embry-Riddle fell down by double digits once again at 49-37 as the Eagles were outscored 9-2 to begin the second half. As the game progressed, West Georgia slowly pulled away more and more until its lead was 17 (77-60) with 3:45 left. Dru Nickson tried to lead the Blue and Gold back by accumulating eight points from that point on until the end of the game, but it wasn't enough to erase the large deficit.  

Nickson made half of his shots (5-for-10) to lead the Eagles offensively with 18 points on top of three rebounds. Whitlow chipped in 17 points while Shockley-Okeke, in his first game as an Eagle, recorded 12 points and five rebounds. Sully controlled the glass for Embry-Riddle with seven boards. Jack Klinger and Milan Skoric also saw their first career minutes of action while wearing blue and gold. 

The Eagles close out the South Region Crossover with the program's first-ever meeting with Morehouse on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The 2023-24 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
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