NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A late surge from Trevecca Nazarene was too much to overcome for Embry-Riddle men's basketball in the finale of the Robert Garrett Classic on Sunday night.

The Eagles split their opening weekend, dropping an 88-82 loss inside Trojan Fieldhouse in Nashville, Tenn.

RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 1-1, (0-0 SSC)
Trevecca Nazarene: 1-1, (0-0 GSC)
 
GAME NOTES

• The Eagles are now 1-2 against Trevecca Nazarene.
• Embry-Riddle last faced the Trojans on Nov. 9, 2024, dropping a 91-85 decision in West Palm Beach, Fla.

KEY PERFORMERS

Embry-Riddle

• Player 1: Jared Berry - 21 pts, 6 ast
• Player 2: Jack Klinger - 17 pts, 11 rebounds, 6-of-7 FG
• Player 3: Evan Montanari - 15 pts, 5-of-9 3PT

Trevecca Nazarene

• Player 1: Fred Bailey - 15 pts, 3 ast
• Player 2: Jax Abernathy - 15 pts
• Player 3: Tyler Moore - 12 pts, 6 ast

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half
 

• Jack Klinger opened the scoring with a pair of shots from the free-throw line to give ERAU an early 2-0 advantage before Dawson Barr buried a three-pointer to lift the Eagles to a 5-0 edge.
• After both teams settled in, the game turned into back-and-forth action with Trevecca Nazarene edging out Embry-Riddle in a 15-9 run that leveled the game at 14 apiece.
• The Trojans eventually claimed a 15-14 lead with less than 14 minutes to play, but a responding effort off the hand of Jared Berry and a long-range snipe from Evan Montanari shifted the score back in favor of the Eagles, leading 19-15.
• Montanari knocked down back-to-back treys, partnering with Chalier Torres for a combined 11 points in a following effort which gave ERAU a 30-22 lead with less than 10 to play.
• Momentum flipped to the Trojans in a 13-4 surge to claim a 35-34 lead as TNU took advantage of shooting woes from the Eagles who shot just 1-for-7 from the field in a four-minute span.
• Both teams finished the first half with a tight 11-11 stretch that saw Trevecca hold a narrow 46-45 lead at the break.
• Klinger led the way with 10 points, and a 75% clip (3-of-4) and a 4-of-5 performance from the foul line in the first half.
• Montanari went 3-for-4 from beyond-the arc with nine points while Barr and Berry both dropped in seven points each.
• ERAU shot for 43.8% from the field while dropping in seven treys for a 53.8% clip.

 
Second Half
 

• TNU came out of the half with a quick trey to kickstart the second half and led the opening stretch of scoring 10-9.
• Logan Lewis and Berry responded with buckets of their own to pull the deficit down to 50-49 with 16:33 on the clock before Berry took two-straight trips down the floor and found a pair of scores to level the game at 53-53.
• Berry went on a tear in the first seven minutes of the half, pouring in eight points to help keep the Eagles tied with 13 minutes left in the game.
• The hosts went on a tear of their own by building up a double-digit lead with 15 unanswered points over the next two and half minutes to lead 70-55.
• Embry-Riddle eventually connected on the offensive end, finding scores from Montanari and Berry to cut the deficit to 10 points.
• The Eagles battled but could not string together stops down the stretch to build a comeback effort.
• Embry-Riddle dropped to a 74-60 deficit before responding with a 16-9 stretch of scoring led by seven points from Klinger and four from Berry.
• In the run, ERAU went 6-of-8 from the field over four and half minutes capped by a long ball from Braeden Moore at the 60 second mark, moving the deficit to seven.
• Despite the distance efforts from Montanari and Moore in the final moments, TNU went 5-of-6 from the foul line in the final minute of play to seal the game shut with an 88-82 advantage.

 
INSIDE THE STATS

• Klinger posted his first career double-double performance for the Blue and Gold, setting career-bests in both points (17) and rebounds (11).
• Berry was four points shy of matching his personal best for single-game scoring, netting 21 points and matching a career-best six assists in the process.
• Montanari is the second newcomer this season to score 15 points from beyond-the-arc.
• Embry-Riddle owned the glass with a 44-38 edge in rebounds, led by Klinger who paced the next-best rebounder by four.
• The Eagles held an 11-8 edge in three-pointers while the Trojans bested the visitors 24-15 in free-throws.

UP NEXT

Embry-Riddle remains on the road, challenging in-state foe Flagler on Thursday, Nov. 20 in St. Augustine, Fla. Thursday's tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Flagler Gymnasium.