DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - Chris Murray flirted with a triple-double, and the Eagles survived a bad shooting first half, holding off Florida Tech in the ICI Center, 81-78. The Eagles (17-7, 10-7 SSC) stayed in a tie for third in the Sunshine State Conference standings, thanks to clutch plays down the stretch, including solid free throw shooting, sending Florida Tech (16-10, 9-9 SSC) to its third straight loss.

Murray had a monster game for the Blue and Gold, finishing with 17 points, 14 rebounds (including 10 offensive boards), seven assists, and two steals, while ERAU went 16-for-19 at the line and out-boarded the Panthers 40-29.

A back-and-forth game all night long, it was tied 72-72 with two minutes and change left when Nikola Jerotic's layup following an offensive rebound, put the Eagles up for good, and the hosts never trailed again. A missed three from the Panthers on their next possession was boarded by Wesley Simpson and Malcolm Whitlow picked the perfect time to cash in on his first trey of the evening, sending the ICI Center crowd into an uproar and the Eagles to a five-point lead.

The Panthers scored four straight over the next 60 seconds, but Whitlow made good on two free throws to push the lead back to three, and after two freebies from the visitors, Jack Dillard, playing in his first game in nearly two months, calmly stepped to the line and sunk both his free throws, putting the game at 81-78 with 3.1 seconds left. Florida Tech turned the ball over without getting a shot off in the final seconds.

The first half was an ugly one for both teams offensively, but it was the Blue and Gold who shot it worse. ERAU had managed to score just 20 points in the first 17 minutes of the period before the home team ended the half making five of their last six field goals, cutting a 29-20 deficit down to just 34-33 when Murray tipped in an offensive rebound at the buzzer for two.

The two teams shot much better in the second half, but ERAU still couldn't pull in front, tying the game several times in the first 10 minutes, but Simpson's three at the 14:03 mark finally gave the Eagles the lead.

The game featured 14 lead changes, but the last one was the best one for Embry-Riddle with two minutes to go.

ERAU finished the game shooting 44% from the field and 84% from the line.

Whitlow had 15 points, while Simpson finished with 12 points and five boards. Dru Nickson went for 10 points, and Michael McCalister came off the bench for nine points and six rebounds. 

The Eagles head to Florida Southern on Saturday, Feb. 18 for a big matchup with the Mocs, tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

---

The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.