DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Embry-Riddle men's basketball hosted No. 1-ranked Nova Southeastern on Wednesday night for Senior Night and the final regular-season contest at the ICI Center for the 2025-26 campaign.
The Eagles dropped a close game to the reigning national titleholders despite carrying a five-point lead in the second half. ERAU's upset bid fell short in the 98-92 loss; a game that featured 10 ties and six lead changes.
RECORDS
Embry-Riddle: 11-13 (8-9 SSC)
Nova Southeastern: 21-1 (16-1 SSC)
GAME NOTES
- Embry-Riddle is 26-26 all-time with Nova Southeastern with a 17-8 record at home in the ICI Center.
KEY PERFORMERS
Embry-Riddle
Nova Southeastern
- Ross Reeves – 28 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl
- Dallas Graziani – 23 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Nova Southeastern opened with an early 4-0 lead and advanced to a 13-4 edge within the first five minutes.
- The Eagles kept the game within reach throughout the half in what would become a high-tempo shootout.
- ERAU managed to keep the deficit no larger than nine in the half and eventually leveled the score late with timely buckets from Jared Berry, Jack Klinger, and Logan Lewis.
- Embry-Riddle closed the half with just a 54-53 deficit, outshooting the Sharks from the field.
- The Eagles shot nearly 58% (19-of-33) from the field while the Sharks shot 41.5% (17-of-41).
- Beyond the arc, ERAU finished the half on 8-of-15 shooting while NSU landed just three of eight attempts from deep.
- Berry led the way for the Eagles with 14 points at a 5-of-7 clip from the field, adding two assists.
- Braeden Moore closed out with a 4-of-5 outing from the field, with nine of his 11 points coming from beyond the arc.
Second Half
- A deep jumper from Dawson Barr gave ERAU an early lead to open the half, however, the Eagles' lead was swiftly depleted and didn't return until the 14:11 mark despite several tied moments.
- After a jumper from Lewis gave Embry-Riddle a 65-63 edge, jumpers from Berry and Barr advanced the Eagles to a five-point advantage moments later.
- Nova Southeastern responded with a 10-2 run, scoring eight points from the foul line to claim a 74-71 lead with 10:55 remaining.
- The Eagles responded on a 9-1 run over the next two minutes, led by four points from Clarens Pierre.
- The Sharks quickly erased the Embry-Riddle lead, flipping to a one-point lead.
- A free throw from Berry tied the game at 81-81 with 6:34 on the clock, but the Eagles' upset bid fell short in the following minutes.
- Nova Southeastern finished strongly to close out with a 98-92 win, scoring nine of the last 17 points from the charity stripe.
- NSU outscored ERAU 44-39 in the half, scoring 20 points from free throws.
INSIDE THE STATS
- Embry-Riddle finished shooting 49.3% (35-of-71) from the field, 40% (10-of-25) from three, and 66.7% (12-of-18) from the foul line.
- ERAU led inside scoring with a 44-30 advantage in points in the paint.
- Berry finished with 21 to lead the Eagles, scoring 20-plus in 11 of the last 12 games to remain at third in the Sunshine State Conference in points per game (20.3).
- Pierre closed the game with a season-high five blocks, moving him to third in the league in blocks per game (1.5).
- Nova Southeastern outscored Embry-Riddle 37-12 in free throws and scored 21 points off 14 Eagle turnovers.
- The Eagles' bench produced 53 points versus the Sharks' 18.
UP NEXT
Embry-Riddle looks ahead to a three-game road series to close out the regular season, beginning with Lynn on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET in Boca Raton, Fla. The Eagles hope to break the two-game skid as they head toward postseason play.
