DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was a tale of two halves on Saturday night for the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team, as the Eagles dropped a heartbreaker to Savannah State in the ICI Center, 78-73. ERAU falls to 2-2 on the young season after giving the Tigers their first win. 
 
The Blue & Gold was stout in the first 20 minutes, taking a 38-26 lead into the break, before yielding 52 points in the second half to their SIAC counterparts, yet still almost mounted a comeback win in front of a raucous 755 fans. 
 
It was a back-and-forth game from the get-go, as the lead changed a couple of times early on with both teams suffering from streaks of hot and cold in the first few minutes. Down four as the clock neared the midway point of the first, Jerry Bracey II (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists)  brought ERAU within two, then a run of threes really got things rolling. Milan Skoric (9 points, 3-for-4 3pt), Dru Nickson (20pts, 7 assists, 4 rebounds) and Dawson Barr (3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) all got in on the rain party, and in a blink of an eye, the Eagles were up seven, 21-14.
 
With the clock under five minutes, Skoric and Nickson both connected from deep, while Yassin Hussein (13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks) added emphatic dunk and short-ranged jumper. Clarens Pierre (5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) also slammed one home off a sweet Nickson pass, pushing the lead to the brink, 38-24 with under two minutes left.
 
Into the second frame, however, the tide turned. Around four minutes in, the Tigers had clawed their way back in, cutting the Eagle lead to just five, 40-35. Michael McCalister (7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) took hard contact on back-to-back possessions and earned consecutive trips to the line, connecting on three freebies to push the lead back out to 10 points. 
 
But after the midway point of the second, SSU started to chip away slowly. ERAU's lead evaporated following a 14-3 Tiger run over four minutes. At the six and a half minute mark, the Tigers took the lead and never relinquished. In a foul-laden game, free throws kept the Blue & Gold in it for awhile, but a pair of Eagles fouling out and SSU going 4-for-4 on their final possessions doomed Embry-Riddle in the end.
 
Looking to bounce back, the Eagles will step into conference play over the next two games before the Thanksgiving season, as Eckerd (Wednesday, 7 p.m.) and Barry (Nov. 23, 6 p.m.) will visit the ICI Center next week.
 
The 2024-25 Embry-Riddle men's basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.