DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was calm and cold outside the ICI Center on Wednesday night, but inside, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team was electric and rained threes en route to a complete 105-75 victory over Saint Leo. The Eagles (10-6, 4-4 SSC) knocked down 20 three-point shots, tying the mark for third-most threes in program history to secure the win over the Lions (8-8, 3-5 SSC).
 
In total, seven different Eagles hit at least one trey, going a combined 20-of-37 from deep. Junior Michael McCalister, whose career-best 23 points spearheaded ERAU's attack, finished 8-of-15 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc, and missed a double-double by one rebound with nine on the evening. 
 
McCalister's night got going early, as he turned in two of the Eagles' first three baskets, sandwiched by a Malcolm Whitlow traditional three-point play. After McCalister hit his first shot from deep, putting the Eagles ahead 8-2 early, the run was on. Cameron Shockley-Okeke, who finished his night with four triples himself, knocked home two more threes, and Dru Nickson added one himself to extend the lead to 17-6 with 14:12 remaining in the first half.

After a three-minute scoring stalemate, Milan Skoric continued his multi-game hot streak, firing in his first of five three-pointers on the night, putting the Eagles up 21-15 just over halfway through the opening frame. 
 
Skoric registered 17 points for the Blue & Gold on 5-of-8 from behind the arc, his third straight contest with at least three three-pointers made. The redshirt freshman is averaging 16 points per game over his last three outings.
 
Thanks to two more rapid-fire threes and two excellent layups in the paint from a rough-and-tumble Danny Sully, the Eagles grabbed their largest lead of the night to that point, up 17 points, 38-21 with 5:31 left in the half. 
 
Saint Leo knocked down a few of their shots to stem the tide late in the frame, but McCalister was not to be denied, hitting a three with 27 ticks left to put ERAU up 52-31. The Lions would add a shot from deep at the buzzer as the teams hit the halftime with the Blue & Gold up 52-34.
 
Whitlow, who finished the night with 18 points of his own in the winning effort, made the Eagles' first three of the second half, while McCalister kept pace, putting ERAU up 61-39 with 17:47 remaining in the game. After two more McCalister threes, and a massive dunk from Nickson off a steal on the defensive end, the home team found itself up even bigger. Another Whitlow trey made it a nearly insurmountable 81-48 lead with just over 13 minutes left. 
 
Skoric rounded out his night with two more from deep, then the ERAU bench got rolling late. Seniors Calvin Freeman II and David Velasco saw action, with Freeman II adding a deep ball of his own. For good measure, Sophomore Theo Stangas connected on his first-career three to put ERAU up for good at 105-75.
 
After the win at home, Embry-Riddle improves to 7-2 in the ICI Center, and will welcome Rollins for another SSC battle on Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
The 2023-24 Embry-Riddle men's basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.