ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Embry-Riddle men's basketball bounced back into the win column on Saturday night, grinding out an 80-74 win at Eckerd.
The Eagles secured a key road matchup with a strong second half against the Tritons inside the McArthur Center in St. Petersburg, snapping a three-game skid.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 9-9 (6-5 SSC)
Eckerd: 10-8 (4-7 SSC)
GAME NOTES
- Embry-Riddle is now 12-8 against Eckerd, holding a 6-4 record on the road.
- The Eagles are 8-2 in the last 10 matchups and are on a five-game winning streak against the Tritons.
KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle
Eckerd
- Miquel Llompart – 16 pts, 3 stl
- Wyatt Triestman – 14 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl
- Koa Baker – 13 pts
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Eckerd opened with a 6-2 lead over the course of the first couple of minutes before a three from Jared Berry trimmed the gap to one.
- The Tritons responded with a 10-2 run in the following moments to extend the edge to 16-7 with 13:09 remaining.
- Eckerd outscored the Eagles in a 16-12 run to build up a 13-point advantage, despite some inside scoring from Jack Klinger and Berry.
- Embry-Riddle found momentum late in the half and cut the double-digit deficit to one.
- Seven points from Dawson Barr and a layup from Chalier Torres sparked the run to pull within two-possessions.
- Four points from Berry and a three-pointer from Braeden Moore highlighted the final stretch of the half as the Eagles finished with a 37-36 deficit.
- Berry led the way for the Eagles with 11 points followed by nine points and six rebounds from Barr.
- ERAU shot 55.2% from the field with 16 of the 36 points falling inside the paint.
Second Half
- Embry-Riddle found early success to begin the second half, taking over early back-and-forth action with a 47-43 lead with 16:13 left.
- The Eagles took the better side of the 11-6 opening stretch of scoring highlighted by five points from Barr.
- Eckerd responded by leveling the score and eventually claiming an eight-point edge by going on an 18-7 run.
- After falling to a 61-53 deficit, Embry-Riddle bounced back with a surge of its own led by a three-pointer from Braeden Moore followed by back-to-back inside baskets from Klinger.
- A layup from Torres at the 8:38 mark completed ERAU's nine unanswered to reclaim control of the score.
- The final stretch was a tightly contested back-and-forth battle between both teams until the 90-second mark.
- ERAU stabilized with another long-range jumper from Barr, an inside layup from Klinger, and a pair of free throws from Moore to capture a seven-point lead before finishing the game with an 80-74 victory.
- The Eagles outscored the Tritons 44-37 in the half on 60.7% (17-of-28) shooting from the field led by Klinger's 10 points and Barr's eight.
- ERAU's defense held Eckerd to 1-of-13 shooting from three in the second half.
INSIDE THE STATS
- The game featured 15 lead changes and seven ties, underscoring the back-and-forth battle before ERAU's late push.
- Embry-Riddle finished the game shooting for a season-high 57.9% (33-of-57) from the field.
- Barr led the way with 17 points and 9 rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, scoring 15 or more points in four of the last five games.
- Berry followed with 15 points, four assists and three steals.
- Klinger finished with 13 points on the night, shooting for 80% or better for four-straight contests.
- Moore rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
- Both teams gathered 33 rebounds each.
- ERAU's defense totaled eight steals on 11 Eckerd turnovers, scoring seven points off the Tritons' miscues.
- Scoring was balanced for the Eagles with 40 of the 80 points coming from within the paint.
UP NEXT
Embry-Riddle looks to carry the momentum into next week, hosting Florida Tech for Military Appreciation Night inside the ICI Center on Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
