Men's basketball: Alabama Huntsville ends Embry-Riddle's season in NCAA Tournament

It was payback by Alabama Huntsville, and the Embry-Riddle Eagles were on the wrong side of it.

Last year, Embry-Riddle beat the Chargers twice, once in the regular season and again in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, they returned the favor, sending the sixth-seeded Eagles packing 76-69 in the first round.

Embry-Riddle closed its season with a 19-12 record and its third straight appearance in the national tournament.

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The lead changed hands four times in the game’s first four minutes. With a 3-pointer from Jack Kostel at the 16:09 mark, third-seeded Alabama Huntsville jumped ahead for good. It shot 61% from the field in the first half and led 44-37 at intermission.

The Chargers built leads as big as 12 points in the first and 11 in the second. But the Eagles hung around and gave themselves a chance late.

They trailed by as few as two in the second and were down just 63-60 after a Chris Murray free throw with 5:54 left.

Then, Alabama Huntsville dug in on defense and embarked on an 8-1 run over the ensuing five minutes to seal the game.

Overall, the Chargers hit 51% from the field and 40% from three. Comparatively, Embry-Riddle shot 43% from the field and 26% from deep. The Eagles out-rebounded Alabama Huntsville 37-23 but lost the turnover battle 19-11.

ERAU’s Malcom Whitlow scored a game-high 20 points.

Max Shulman had a team-high 18 for the Chargers.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College hoops: Alabama Huntsville beats Embry-Riddle in NCAA Tournament