DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team fought for a full 40 minutes against visiting Columbus State Saturday night inside the ICI Center for the Bahama House Classic, but the Eagles ultimately fell to the Cougars, 84-82, on a last-second shot. 
 
Four Eagles boasted double-digit scoring on the night, led by Malcolm Whitlow's 19 and Jon Alessandro's 17, tying his season-best mark. Danny Sully (16 points) and Cameron Shockley-Okeke (10 points) rounded out ERAU's top scorers for the evening. The loss, which was the first on home court this season, moves ERAU to 6-3 to open the year.
 
Embry-Riddle roared out of the gates on Saturday, sprinting to a 16-4 advantage in the game's first five minutes, thanks in part to Whitlow and Michael McCalister. The Eagles were able to spread the ball around efficiently, as four in the Blue & Gold finished the first 20 minutes with eight points apiece. But while the Eagles rained three-pointers (6-for-14 in the opening half), the Cougars clawed their way back, down eight points at the break, 42-34.  
 
CSU was helped down the stretch by Jarrett Adderton who fired in 23 of the Cougars 50 second-half points, including the game-winning shot as the buzzer rang. CSU, which eventually took their first lead at the 12:30 mark, 53-51, never lost the lead, though a scoring spree from Milan Skoric nearly turned the tide. Skoric knocked home a tough three-point shot, then was fouled hard on the next possession and hit all three of his free throws to tie the game at 59 apiece. Skoric finished with six points and two rebounds on the evening. 
 
But thanks to Adderton's second-half frenzy, Columbus State held a lead until Alessandro nailed a trey with 1:13 left to knot things at 80 all. After two Adderton free throws on the other end, Whitlow tied things once again with a layup with just 17 ticks left. But after a timeout, CSU drew up a play to have Adderton take the last shot, which ultimately paid off for the Cougars, taking the game, 84-82.
 
The Eagles are back again Sunday afternoon in the ICI Center for the Bahama House Classic as they take on Shaw University at 4 p.m.
   
 
The 2023-24 Embry-Riddle men's basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.