DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Embry-Riddle men's basketball hosted Valdosta State in a non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon, falling in a 103-91 shootout inside the ICI Center in Daytona Beach. The Eagles (2-3) dominated the offensive glass and put five players in double figures, but the Blazers' (4-1) side proved to be too much to handle down the stretch.
ERAU was powered by a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double from
Dawson Barr and a 17-point, nine-rebound outing by
Logan Lewis.
Chalier Torres added 12 while
Jared Berry scored 11 and dished out five assists.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 2-3, (1-0 SSC)
Valdosta State: 4-1 (0-0 GSC)
GAME NOTES
- Saturday's meeting against Valdosta State was the first between both programs.
- Coming into the game, VSU averaged 95.3 points per game while shooting for 49.1% from the field while allowing 81.0 points from opponents.
KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle
Saint Leo
- Player 1: Devon Rainey – 19 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast
- Player 2: Peter McKey – 18 pts, 5 reb
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Valdosta State knocked Embry-Riddle on the ropes early with a blazing 13-0 run to open the game.
- Jack Klinger put the Eagles on the board at the 16:04 mark and followed with a dunk to make the game 15-4.
- A trey from Evan Montanari cut the deficit under double figures, but VSU answered and held a double-digit lead over Embry-Riddle up until the 6:28 mark.
- Embry-Riddle went on a 12-2 burst over three minutes, moving the deficit to 40-31 yet the Blazers continued to respond.
- VSU finished the half shooting 57.5% and led 61-48 at the break.
- ERAU closed out the first half shooting for 39% from the field.
Second Half
- Embry-Riddle surged early in the second half with 15-1 blast in the opening five minutes to erase the double-digit deficit and claim a 63-62 lead.
- Barr led the run with seven points while Klinger netted four which included the go-ahead slam at the 15:14 mark.
- Unfortunately, Valdosta State responded with 12 unanswered points which included nine from beyond the arc, reclaiming a double-figure advantage within the following three minutes of play.
- ERAU battled and pulled the deficit to 10 twice before the Blazers went on a 14-4 run to capture a commanding 91-71 lead.
- The Eagles would not go down without a fight, taking the next few minutes to put together a 17-6 stretch of scoring capped by a layup from Torres to cut the deficit down to 96-88 with 2:30 to play.
- Valdosta State managed to hold on to the lead down the stretch and took advantage of five made free throws as well as a layup to win 103-91.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Embry-Riddle shot for 43.4% (36-of-83) from the field, 27.6% (8-of-29) from three and 64.7% (11-of-17) from the foul line.
- Valdosta State shot for 50.7% (37-of-73) from the field, 52.2% (12-of-23) from three, and 85% (12-of-20) from the foul line.
- Barr scored a career-best 20 points and snagged a career-high 12 rebounds for his first-ever double-double performance for the Gold & Blue, adding a game-high four steals as well.
- Berry has produced five or more assists in all but one contest this season.
- Lewis poured in a career-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, adding nine rebounds and three assists.
- The Eagles dominated the glass with a 47-39 rebounding advantage, recording 20 rebounds on the offensive end of the floor.
- Embry-Riddle gathered 52 points in the paint and outscored VSU 22-12 in second chance points.
UP NEXT
The Eagles welcome Trinity College of Jacksonville on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET inside the ICI Center in Daytona Beach.
