DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With six student-athletes in double-figure scoring, Embry-Riddle men's basketball used a second half surge to cruise to a 101-79 victory over Lynn on Saturday evening in the ICI Center.
The Eagles bounced back from a two-point deficit at the break to best the Knights with a 24-point scoring edge in the second half, securing the final contest of a three-game homestand.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 8-6 (5-2 SSC)
Lynn: 10-5 (5-3 SSC)
GAME NOTES
- Embry-Riddle has won six of the last 10 meetings versus Lynn, riding a two-game winning streak.
- The Eagles' win on Saturday is the largest margin of victory in the last five meetings and the third largest margin of the all-time series against the Knights.
KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle
Lynn
- Antoine Jacks – 18 pts, 3 ast
- Max Polk – 16 pts, 3 ast
- Matthew Puodziukaitis – 16 pts, 6 reb
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Embry-Riddle opened the game with a slam from Jack Klinger and a signature three-point swish from Dawson Barr for the early lead.
- Lynn quickly battled back to level the score, pushing the game into a back-and-forth battle.
- Three-pointers from Barr and Jared Berry led an 8-2 spurt for the Eagles to lead 13-9 but the Fighting Knights answered with some points from the charity stripe to keep the game within reach.
- Embry-Riddle advanced its lead further with an 11-4 run capped by a pair of back-to-back three-pointers from Evan Montanari, leading 24-16 with 13:24 on the clock.
- Lynn managed to create a few defensive stops and transitioned into a 9-0 run to reclaim a 25-24 advantage.
- Another long-range jumper from Montanari sparked a 7-2 stretch to boost ERAU back into control of a four-point lead.
- The Fighting Knights answered once again, building up a four-point lead of their own in response.
- The Eagles outscored Lynn 12-7 in the following couple of minutes to hold a narrow 43-42 lead.
- Lynn would go on to finish the half on a 6-3 stretch in the final two minutes to edge out Embry-Riddle for a 48-46 lead at the break.
- ERAU shot 46.2% from the field and 45% from three in the first half with Barr's 16 points and 4-of-7 shooting from three leading the way.
Second Half
- Embry-Riddle took advantage of some timely stops in the second half and produced a more efficient offensive effort to pull away from Lynn, outscoring the Fighting Knights 51-33.
- The Eagles shot 55.3% from the field and a perfect 11-for-11 from the foul line – a stark contrast to Lynn's 31.4% field goal mark after the break.
- ERAU managed to open the half with some back-and-forth production with the guests before eventually leveling the score at 52-52 with 17:04 remaining.
- Over the course of the next 10 minutes, Embry-Riddle outscored Lynn 32-15 thanks to six turnovers and cold shooting from the Fighting Knights.
- ERAU's 10-minute surge was capped off by a 17-2 run over three minutes of action, boosting to an 84-67 lead.
- Embry-Riddle closed the book with balanced scoring and a 21-12 final stretch with key points coming off the bench from Landen Harwood and Montanari.
- The Eagles finished the evening with 19 bench points to maintain separation and close with the 101-79 victory.
- Berry added 14 points in the second half with Clarens Pierre putting together 10 points and five rebounds.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Embry-Riddle finished shooting 50.6% (39-of-77) from the field, 37.9% (11-of-29) from three, and a clean 12-for-12 from the foul line.
- The Eagles knocked down a season-best 39 made field goals and matched the program's best free-throw shooting performance.
- Berry led all scorers with 23 total points, scoring 20-plus points six times this season. In addition, he produced his fifth straight contest with five or more assists with six.
- Five more Eagles totaled double-digit points with Barr adding 18 and Pierre scoring a career-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
- Both Montanari and Harwood finished with 11 each while Jack Klinger went 5-of-7 from the field for 10 points while snagging eight boards in the process.
- As a team, Embry-Riddle finished with 19 assists as Logan Lewis and Barr combined for six.
- The Eagles held a 46-36 rebounding edge, producing a rebounding margin of 10 or more for the sixth time this season.
- Defensively, ERAU's performance produced 22 points off 13 Lynn turnovers which included seven steals.
- For the second time this season, Embry-Riddle tallied eight blocks as Klinger and Pierre both led with three each.
UP NEXT
Embry-Riddle sets aim for a road contest at RV Florida Southern on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Lakeland, Fla.
