MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University men's basketball is back in first place in the Sunshine State Conference.

The Buccaneers snapped a two-game skid, beating Embry-Riddle, 89-73, Wednesday night at Cesar Odio Court in the Health & Sports Center. The win, coupled with a loss by Rollins, moved Barry back to the top of the conference standings with five games to play. 

"We're just kind of cannibalizing each other in this league," Bucs head coach Butch Estes said. 

The Buccaneers shot 65 percent in the second half, turning a three-point lead at the break into a 25-point lead with 6:32 to go. Barry outscored ERAU, 57-44, in the second half.

"I felt we really got back to playing Barry basketball today," said Daniel Mortensen, who finished with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Barry 89, Embry-Riddle 73
Records: Barry (14-6, 10-5 SSC), Embry-Riddle (10-13, 4-11 SSC)
All-Time Series: Barry leads, 8-1
 

• Barry got out to a 25-21 lead on a dunk by Mortensen with 3:29 remaining in a low-scoring first half. The Bucs bumped their lead to seven on a three-pointer by Elvar Fridriksson, and then to eight on another triple by Fridriksson. But Embry-Riddle whittled it down to three when Rudy Bibb-Boyd sank two free throws with 22 seconds remaining in the half. 
• Barry was 11 of 33 from the floor in the first half. ERAU shot 9 of 23 from the field.
• The Bucs opened up an 11-point lead when Mortensen scored at the 14:13 mark. Barry used a 9-0 run, which included baskets by Marko Tomic and Johannes Dolven, to extend the lead to 20 with 10:22 to play. Tomic knocked down a 3 to give the Bucs a 25-point lead, and the Eagles could not recover.
• Fridriksson finished with 25 points, 10 assists and four steals. Sawyer Glick had 14 points. Tomic had 12 points, and Kooper Glick eight. Bibb-Boyd and Luka Majstorovic each scored 18 for the Eagles.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Fridriksson recorded his second straight double-double.
• Barry improved to 11-1 when leading at the half.
• The Bucs improved to 7-3 when three starters scored in double figures.
• Fridriksson and David Moya were both in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
• The Bucs buried at least 12 threes for the 12th time this season.
• Barry had a season-best 31 assists. It is the second time the Buccaneers had at least 30 assists this season. 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"We really wanted to get back to how we were playing earlier in the season. We just got to play for each other."
            -- Barry junior guard/forward Kooper Glick
 

ON THE HORIZON:

Barry will play at Saint Leo 7:30 p.m. Saturday.