WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – After a thrilling first game of the year, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team found themselves in another knock-down, drag-out contest, but this time the Eagles couldn't escape, falling to Trevecca Nazarene, 91-85, to split the SIAC/SSC Crossover Challenge on Saturday.
 
In reverse of Friday night's game, it was the Eagles (1-1) who dominated second chance points (22) and points in the paint (50), but Trevecca's (1-1) fastbreak opportunities (23-4) and three-balls (15) were too much to overcome. 
 
Yassin Hussein was utterly dominant in the paint and on the glass, nearly pulling down a 20-20 game, registering 22 points and 15 rebounds on the evening. He picked up five offensive rebounds and 10 defensive boards. After a tough game Friday, Michael McCalister shot lights-out from the floor, knocking home seven of his 10 shots, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the line, for 19 points, adding five rebounds. Coming off a career night, Dru Nickson tallied 13 points and displayed his usual versatility, adding six rebounds and five assists. 
 
The game marked the second-ever meeting between the Eagles and Trojans, the first in 21 years. TNU used the deep three to muster out a win on Saturday, finishing 15-of-34, to ERAU's 5-of-15 from range. The two similar-style offenses were electric all night, but a slow start doomed the Eagles. Trevecca bounced out to an early lead, but things quickly went back and forth offensively. In the game's first 10 minutes, there were four lead changes, until the 12-minute mark, when TNU grabbed a six-point lead on a dunk. The Trojans again extended the advantage a few minutes later, 30-22, while ERAU struggled to find a bucket.
 
But then the one-two punch of Milan Skoric and Dawson Barr got things back in order for the Blue & Gold. After a Skoric jumper, Barr nailed home a three, right before Skoric found success again from deep, cutting the Trojan lead to just five with seven minutes left in the half, 35-30. Three unanswered treys pushed the TNU lead once again, this time to a game-high 13 points.
 
Michael McCalister and Dru Nickson had other plans, getting a couple of shots to drop to cut into the lead as the five-minute mark passed, and two new bigs, Yassin Hussein and Clarens Pierre earned hard points in the paint, to lead ERAU into the break down just nine, 47-38.
 
As the second half started, the Eagles started to surge. Hussein, who dominated the glass and the paint, and Skoric tossed in six points combined, then a Jerry Bracey II layup cut the Trojan lead to just one, 53-51, marching on a 13-6 run between the last minutes of the first and the first six minutes of the second. After a McCalister free throw, Bracey gave the Eagles their first lead in over 20 minutes with back-to-back layups. Jack Klinger sent in a pair of freebies to make it 61-58 with just 8:30 left, as ERAU was full of momentum. 
 
But Trevecca's next six makes were all threes, the last of which, at 2:09, gave TNU the lead for good. McCalister, Skoric and Hussein all contributed points down the stretch, but by that point, the long-range damage was too much to overcome, and the Eagles dropped their first game of the year, 91-85.
 
ERAU hits the court looking to bounce back on Thursday as traditional rival Flagler makes a trip to the ICI Center at 6:30 p.m.