MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to Barry on Saturday, 81-79, despite a flawless first half and a flurry of scoring runs throughout the game. The loss moves ERAU to 9-6 (3-4 SSC) on the season.
 
The Eagles outperformed the Buccaneers in nearly every category across the board, but a late field goal drought doomed the Blue & Gold. ERAU outshot BU in the field 43-percent (27-of-63) to 41-percent (25-of-61), and from behind the arc 35-percent to 19-percent. The Eagles also mustered up 44 rebounds to the Bucs' 32. 
 
Senior Malcolm Whitlow opened the scoring sheet for both sides with a hard-working drive through the paint. Junior Michael McCalister then got Embry-Riddle off to a quick start, scoring six of the Eagles' eight points, with two nice layups and a long two with a toe on the line from the wing. McCalister would end up accounting for seven points, six rebounds, two assists and a block.
 
Danny Sully showed out in the first half, standing tall in the paint with a flurry of rebounds, including a stretch of three offensive rebounds that ended in two free points from the charity stripe to put the Eagles up 10-11 within the game's first six minutes. Sully capped the game with his seventh double-double of the year, registering 11 points and 14 rebounds, the latter a season-best.
 
Once Cameron Shockley-Okeke mailed home a three-pointer at 13:41, ERAU took a lead it would hold onto until midway through the second half, up 13-11. A few minutes later, the Eagles' defense was buzzing, ending a long Barry possession with a McCalister block and Bucs shot clock violation, keeping momentum in the visitors' corner. Shockley-Okeke finished the night with 12 points on 2-of-5 from three-point range.
 
As Barry was inching closer to tying, down just 18-17 to Embry-Riddle, Jack Klinger got in on the action with an excellent second-chance look at a layup. On Barry's very next possession, Dru Nickson stole the show and the ball, streaking down the court for the emphatic dunk to keep the Bucs at bay.
 
BU scored quickly with a three, but unselfish basketball by the Blue & Gold lead to six passes capped off by yet another dunk, this time thanks to Sully to go up 24-20 with 8:30 remaining in the half. 
 
The two teams jousted back and forth, and Barry pulled within two at 31-29, but then Milan Skoric appeared and took the game over. The redshirt freshman connected on a triad of triples in a two-minute span to boost the Eagles' towards a 44-40 halftime lead.
 
Skoric would finish the game just one point shy of his career mark with 20 points, far and away his best performance against conference opponents. He shot 70-percent from the field, including an unconscious 6-for-7 from behind the arc. 
 
After the break, Barry began its comeback bid. Shockley-Okeke fired in a long three early, but the Bucs finally tied things up at 47-47 thanks to a flurry of free throws. In total, the game featured 63 shots from the charity stripe, indicating the pace of play. The Eagles were called for six fouls within the first five minutes of the second half.
 
A Barry dunk tied it up at 49, but a strong move by Nickson put the eagles back up 51-49 at 16:38. What followed was a three-minute span of scoreless play from both sides, before Bracey II and Sully knocked home a pair of free throws each. Nickson then scored the games first field goal in over four minutes allowing ERAU to take a 55-52 lead at 12:05.
 
Nickson struck again on the next possession, repeating his first-half steal-and-dunk show – almost exactly – stealing the ball on the elbow and taking it home for the dunk with ERAU up 59-52 with just over 11 minutes to play.
 
After a brief scoreless stretch, a Nickson layup followed by yet another Skoric triple put the Eagles up 66-59 with just 8:29 left on the clock. Skoric then added his final three of the game at 4:42, to go up 75-70,  but unfortunately for the Eagles, that would be their final field goal. 
 
The early foul trouble came back to haunt the visitors as the two conference foes traded free throws with ERAU holding a slim lead, until Nick Anderson connected on a three with just 39 seconds left to tie it up at 79 all. Unable to get another shot off for the remaining seconds, Embry-Riddle ultimately fell, 81-79.
 
The Eagles return to the hardwood on Wednesday when Saint Leo visits the ICI Center for another SSC matchup.
 
 
The 2023-24 Embry-Riddle men's basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.