MELBOURNE, Fla. – Thanks in part to a second-half surge and stout defense to close the game out, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team ran away with a 79-71 overtime win over Florida Tech on Saturday night.
The Eagles (13-7, 7-5 SSC) shot just 33-percent from the floor in the first half, but turned that instantly around to make an incredible 61-percent of their shots in the second half, 50-percent in the frame from deep. In contrast, FIT shot an even 50-percent in the first, but the Eagle defense clamped down to force the Panthers to an 8-for-25 second half and 0-4 overtime to secure the win.
ERAU found itself with just 30 points and down eight at the half, but roared to life on both ends of the court to secure the win over the Panthers. Four Eagles reached double-digit scoring on the night, including a team-best 15 off the bench for
Milan Skoric. He and
Dru Nickson (14 points, six rebounds, five assists) paced the Blue & Gold on the night.
ERAU and Florida Tech battled back in forth in the early going, trading leads through the game's first 10 minutes. After
Malcolm Whitlow free throw made things a 11-7 in ERAU's favor at 14:53, FIT nailed a three and another jumper to climb ahead 14-12 at 13:06.
Michael McCalister had something to say about that, knocking down his only three of the night in a big spot to keep the Panthers at bay, putting the Eagles up 14-12 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Nickson added a couple of free shots from the charity stripe, and off the bench
Jon Alessandro connected on two of his three buckets on the night to eventually give ERAU a 22-19 lead. Nickson hit another trey, followed by yet another one from Skoric, followed then by a nice
Nikola Jerotic jumper, making it 30-23 in the visitor's favor. But FIT's Niall Harris knocked down a triplet of threes and added another fastbreak jumper in the final minutes to push Florida Tech's lead to 38-30 at the break.
The Panthers extended that lead to start the second half, up 40-30, but Nickson and Whitlow, combined with
Cameron Shockley-Okeke's jumper from close pulled the Eagles back within five at 49-44 with 15:29 left on the clock.
After a big-time
Danny Sully block, McCalister and Shockley-Okeke went back-to-back to draw within one score with just over halfway remaining in the second. Harris, who had a game high 33 points for the Panthers, kept the Eagles in check himself down the stretch. After a Harris steal at 9:41, it looked like the Panthers might escape the game, eventually going up 59-50. Their lead would stretch to as much as 63-53 with under eight minutes remaining.
Jerotic softened the blow with a jumper in the paint, and Skoric followed up rapid-fire with a defensive rebound that turned into a three-point opportunity on the other end, bringin the Eagles within five at 63-58 with 6:40 left. Off the bench,
Jerry Bracey II had an excellent run of play, securing a big rebound on the defensive end before scoring back-to-back jumpers at 4:49 to make it just a 65-52 game.
Skoric tied things up in the next possession with a three from deep, then extended the lead for the first time in more than 20 minutes with another trey at 3:16, putting the Eagles up 68-65.
FIT's Rashaan Edwards (21 pointes) gave the Panthers a lead once again at the 1:12 mark with back-to-back jumpers, making it 70-68. Skoric was not to be denied however, knocking in his fifth three of the night to make it 71-70.
Though a free throw for Florida Tech tied the game and sent it to overtime, the Eagles were too much for the Panthers to overcome, forcing them to miss all eight of their overtime shots as ERAU climbed to a victory. Bracey II connected on two jumpers, while Whitlow and Alessandro added one apiece as the Eagles cruised to a 79-71 overtime win.
Up next for ERAU are back-to-back home games this week. First, SSC power Florida Southern visits the ICI Center on Wednesday, followed by the conference's other power Nova Southeastern makes the trek to Daytona Beach next Saturday.
The 2023-24 Embry-Riddle men's basketball season is presented by Daytona Kia.
