DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite a standout double-double from Jared Barry, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team dropped a tightly contested Sunshine State Conference bout to No. 8 Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday night, falling 70-66 inside the ICI Center.
The Eagles fought through shooting woes from beyond the arc to keep close, equalizing four times and taking the lead twice throughout the battle. Unfortunately, the Sailfish escaped Daytona Beach with a narrow victory.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 7-6 (4-2 SSC)
#8 Palm Beach Atlantic: 13-1 (5-1 SSC)
GAME NOTES
- Embry-Riddle holds a 39-12 record over Palm Beach Atlantic.
- The Eagles are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with the Sailfish.
- ERAU tied the game four times.
- The Eagles led for three minutes and 19 seconds, taking the lead twice.
KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle
Palm Beach Atlantic
- Alvin Tumblin – 16 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl
- Christian Kirkland – 9 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Both teams struggled to find a made basket in the opening minutes with the first score of the game coming from a 1-for-2 free-throw effort from PBA at the 16:26 mark.
- Logan Lewis scored the first field goal of the night followed by a layup from Clarens Pierre to take an early ERAU lead.
- The first 10 minutes resulted in a tight defensive battle with a couple of lead changes and the Eagles leveling the game twice in the stretch.
- A jumper from Evan Montanari at the 11:29 mark and a pair of made free throws from Pierre put ERAU at an even 10-10 scoreline with less than 10 to play in the half.
- The Eagles kept the score close with a big three-pointer from Dawson Barr, but the Sailfish managed to respond to pull away to a two-possession lead.
- Jared Berry led ERAU on a 6-1 run to level the game at 21-21 with 3:28 left in the half.
- Palm Beach Atlantic would go on to reclaim the lead and hold onto a 31-27 advantage at the break.
- Berry led the way for Embry-Riddle with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, adding nine rebounds.
- ERAU shot 38.7% (12-of-31) from the field and just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Second Half
- Berry and Jack Klinger put the Eagles level with the Sailfish, opening the second half with an early spurt of scoring.
- PBA would go on to slowly build a 15-point advantage over the course of the half, piecing together a 27-12 stretch of scoring.
- Embry-Riddle responded with a surging run of its own, outscoring the Sailfish 21-8 in the following minutes.
- Palm Beach Atlantic managed to thwart a comeback effort from the hosts, slipping away to a 70-66 victory with a layup and pair of free throws in the final minute of play.
- ERAU fought hard in a tight 39-39 half, finding a better rhythm on the offensive end.
- Berry was the catalyst in a comeback attempt late, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the second half while going 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
- Evan Montanari added 10 points in the half to help keep the Eagles within reach.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Embry-Riddle finished shooting 41.3% (26-of-63) from the field, 5-of-27 (18.5%) from three, and 100% (9-of-9) from the foul line.
- Berry led all scorers with 22 points while adding 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and third of his career.
- In addition, Berry dished out a game-leading five assists.
- Montanari finished with 12 points followed by Klinger's efficient 5-for-5 performance with 10 points.
- Klinger has been efficient on the offensive end as of late, recording a 1.000 field goal percentage in three of the last five games.
- In his last five outings, Klinger has shot 23-for-26 from the field for 46 points, adding seven from the foul line for a 53-point total.
- ERAU led a narrow 37-34 rebounding battle, moving the season rebounding margin to 6.2.
- The Eagles' 18 turnovers were proven to be costly as the Sailfish produced 21 points off the miscues.
UP NEXT
The Eagles cap off the three-game homestand with a 4:00 p.m. ET meeting with Lynn on Saturday for Ernie's Birthday and Youth Night inside the ICI Center.
