SAINT LEO, Florida - The Saint Leo Lions completed the season sweep of the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team with an 85-79 victory at the Bowman Center on Saturday evening. The Eagles (15-7, 8-7 SSC) were outscored by three in each half, unable to keep pace with the Lions (17-8, 8-6) and their shooting from the field and the charity stripe.
Senior
Chris Murray joined the Eagles' 1,000 point club in the loss, becoming the 33rd member all-time.
The hosts shot 52% from the floor on the night, including a 10-for-22 effort from deep, while also going 17-for-18 from the line. Saturday marked the eighth time this season that an ERAU opponent went 79% or better at the free throw line, the Eagles have managed it three times this year.
The Eagles attempted a season-high 33 triples, making nine of them (also a season-best). ERAU grabbed 15 offensive boards in the game, getting 16 points, however, the Lions grabbed just five offensive rebounds, turning them into 10 points, scoring each time.
Saint Leo raced out to an 18-7 lead midway through the first half, but starting with a
Dru Nickson jumper the Eagles were able to get back into things, making it 25-22 on a
Malcolm Whitlow bucket with five minutes to play in the first.
A few minutes later
Wesley Simpson and
Michael McCalister made back-to-back layups to get the Eagles within one at 30-29, but the Lions still managed to take a 34-31 lead into the break.
Saint Leo owned the first few minutes of the second half, extending its lead to 13 on several occasions, including a 58-45 advantage with 11 minutes left to go.
Jerry Bracey II started an Eagle rally with a pair of free throws around the 10-minute mark, and after Murray hit two free throws and McCalister nailed a trey, the Eagles had the deficit down to 60-52.
The Lions answered by going back up 11 on a Marty Jackson three-pointer with 7:12 on the clock, but the visitors didn't go quietly, scoring the next 10 points, including six points from Bracey II and capped by a Simpson jumper with four minutes left to get within 65-64.
SLU hit six straight free throws and got a three-pointer over the next few moments to push its lead back to double-digits, and the Eagles just couldn't get any closer than six the rest of the night.
Whitlow led the with with 19 points, while Nickson finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. McCalister registered another double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, while Simpson had 10 points and five rebounds.
Murray had nine points and seven rebounds in the loss. He is the 18th player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds as an Eagle. He currently sits in 11th all-time with 680 career rebounds.
Embry-Riddle will look to bounce back at home when they take on Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in the ICI Center. Tip for Coaches vs. Cancer night is set for 7:30 p.m.
The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
