FT. LAUDERDALE, Florida - The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle men's basketball season came to an abrupt end on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA II National Tournament as the Eagles suffered a 76-69 defeat in the first round of the South Region bracket versus No. 23 Alabama Huntsville. The Chargers (26-7, 19-5 GSC) got some revenge on ERAU (19-12, 10-10 SSC) after last year's loss to the Eagles in the South Region semifinals.
Turnovers and a tough shooting afternoon from distance for the Blue and Gold was the difference in the game. ERAU turned the ball over 19 times, leading to 24 Charger points, while UAH made 10 triples in 25 tries compared to Embry-Riddle's 26% (8-for-31) clip from beyond the arc.
Malcolm Whitlow led four Eagles in double-digits, finishing with 20 points and four rebounds, while Dru Nickson had arguably the best game of his Embry-Riddle career, scoring 19 points, pulling down eight boards and collecting two steals with no turnovers.
The Chargers were hot from the floor in the first half, shooting over 60% from the field, and that started with a three from Max Shulman to open the game. Whitlow had the answer for ERAU with a jumper in the paint, and Nickson's three a moment later put the Eagles up 5-3.
Whitlow's first three of the day at the 16:48 mark had the Eagles in front 10-8, but a three from UAH gave them the lead, and they never gave it back.
A couple free throws from Chris Murray around the 12-minute mark got ERAU within two at 16-14, and the Blue and Gold found itself only trailing by four (24-20) with nine to go, but an 8-0 UAH run had the Chargers suddenly up a dozen.
ERAU was able to claw back with four straight points from Jon Alessandro around four minutes to go, and Nikola Jerotic made it just a five-point deficit with a layup at the 1:12 mark. However, the Chargers got an open layup with just a few seconds remaining in the half to take a seven point lead into the break, 44-37.
The start of the second half was very back-and-forth, with UAH holding a 51-43 cushion at the first media timeout. Murray found Nickson for an open trey and then Whitlow found Nickson again a few possessions later as the sophomore guard buried both, getting the Eagles within 51-49 with 14 minutes left.
Over the next several minutes the Blue and Gold had opportunities to tie or even take the lead, but each time the Eagles' shots were off target and the Chargers seemed to find a way to extend their lead slightly.
A flagrant foul by UAH with 8:29 on the clock sent Murray to the line where he sank both freebies, and then ERAU had two three-point attempts that would have tied the game at 60, but both were off target, and a three-point play from the Chargers a minute later put the third-seeded team back up six.
From the 8:57 mark all the way down to just 43 seconds left, the Eagles made just one field goal, a driving layup from Jerry Bracey II, and the Chargers were able to put some distance between themselves and ERAU.
Nickson hit two treys in the final 14 seconds, but it was too little, too late and ERAU fell by the 76-69 final.
Joining Whitlow and Nickson in double-figures were Murray with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Alessandro, who finished with 10 points, four boards, and three assists.
The Eagles out-rebounded the Chargers by 14, allowing just one offensive rebound, but had just five extra shot than UAH because of the 19 turnovers.
Murray, along with Wesley Simpson, played their final game in an Embry-Riddle uniform on Saturday, while senior student manager Avery Williamson roamed the sidelines for the final time. For Murray, he finishes with 1,136 points (tied for 25th all-time) and 762 rebounds (eighth all-time).
Head Coach Steve Ridder and his team qualified for their 18th national tournament, third in the three seasons, and will return the bulk of their production in 2022-23.
The 2022-23 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
