DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Embry-Riddle men's basketball edged out Florida Tech, 91-89, on Wednesday night inside the ICI for the second installment of the Kármán Clash Rivalry.
The Eagles make a regular season sweep of the Panthers thanks to a huge inside basket from
Jack Klinger with two ticks left on the clock to secure the win. ERAU outlasted a barrage of Florida Tech threes in a back-and-forth matchup that came down to the wire.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 10-9 (7-5 SSC)
Florida Tech: 8-12 (4-8 SSC)
GAME NOTES
- Embry-Riddle has elevated to an eight-game winning streak over Florida Tech.
- The Eagles are 16-9 versus the Panthers and 9-1 in the last 10 matchups.
- Wednesday night's game featured 12 ties and seven lead changes.
KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle
Florida Tech
- Ca'Darrius Sowell – 22 pts, 3 ast
- Ty Harpring – 22 pts, 2 reb
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Florida Tech struck first but after back-and-forth play to open, a signature three-point bucket from Dawson Barr and a Clarens Pierre slam leveled the game at 9-9 with 17:03 remaining.
- The Panthers responded with five unanswered to pull ahead before eventually extending the lead to 20-13.
- Midway through the half, Berry heated up for five points in a 14-2 run for the Eagles to claim a 27-22 lead.
- Florida Tech answered strongly with a 16-4 run of its own to reclaim control of the lead with a seven-point edge.
- Embry-Riddle returned the favor with a 15-5 scoring stretch over the next three minutes, highlighted by six points from deep off the hands of Barr.
- Berry added five points in the final 1:19 of play.
- Barr led ERAU with 13 points and 3-of-3 shooting from long range followed by 12 from Berry and 10 from Logan Lewis.
- Embry-Riddle shot for 51.5% from the field and 42.9% from three while also going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to lead 48-46 at the break.
Second Half
- Embry-Riddle controlled early in the second half with an 11-3 run led by seven points from Berry.
- Florida Tech followed with a 17-10 stretch of scoring to pull within one-possession, down 69-66 with 10:26 to go.
- ERAU remained in control for the next few minutes, holding onto the lead by six points thanks to back-to-back buckets from Chalier Torres near the seven-minute mark.
- ERAU's six-point edge was swiftly erased by a barrage of long-range shots from the Panthers with all four field goals coming from beyond the arc.
- Florida Tech claimed an 84-76 lead with 4:15 thanks to 12 points from deep and a pair of free throws.
- The Eagles fought back down the stretch as Berry sparked a 13-5 run to close out the game.
- Embry-Riddle made four of its last four field goals attempted while Florida Tech made just one in the last seven field goals.
- Inside the run was a six-point effort from Klinger who sealed the win with an interior shot in the dying seconds of the game, lifting ERAU past Florida Tech with a 91-89 win.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Embry-Riddle finished shooting 53.2% (33-of-62) from the field, 29.2% (7-of-24) from three, and 85.7% (18-of-21) from the foul line.
- The Eagles were boosted by four players in double-figure scoring including Berry's career night of 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line, shooting 100% from the charity stripe for the 11th time this season.
- Klinger followed with a commanding 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, continuing his consistent streak of shooting above 70% to 11-straight games.
- Klinger's consistency has established himself as the top-ranked player in all of NCAA DII in field-goal percentage, shooting 74.6% from the field entering Wednesday's game.
- Both Barr and Lewis added 15 points apiece to round out the top end scorers.
- Klinger and Barr led the rebounding efforts with seven each while Pierre led the defensive category with four blocks.
- The interior scoring for Embry-Riddle proved to be crucial as the Eagles outscored the Panthers 38-26 in the paint.
- Florida Tech's long-range shooting was trouble for Embry-Riddle as the Panthers outscored the Eagles 45-21 from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
The Eagles travel south to Miami Shores, Fla. for a Saturday challenge at Barry at 4:00 p.m. ET from the Health & Sports Center.
