CHANDLER, Ariz. – Nick Johnson (SR/Anthem, Ariz.) and Gilbert Ibarra (SR/Prescott Valley, Ariz.) of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) men's basketball dropped 22 points apiece in their comeback win over Rocky Mountain College on Monday night at the 2019 Cactus Classic, 87-86.

Ibarra was on point early as the Eagles (4-5) jumped out to a 20-11. He scored 12 of the Eagles first 20 points. He went on to score five more points in the half before the Battlin Bears (4-4) came back with five triples to get it within a possession. They closed out the half with a 13-4 run to get ahead by five.

The Bears were hot from downtown in the first half shooting 9-18. They were active in the paint defensively too pushing back three shots as a team. ERAU kept their end of the bargain in their zone defensive scheme taking away five possessions.

Dennis Pomazanov (FR/Pleasant Hill, Calif.) kept the Eagles in the game in the first five minutes of play. The freshman scored nine points in that span to keep ERAU within three points. RMC eventually jumped their lead to 12 before Trace Edmier (SR/Mesa, Ariz.) got involved. The senior scored ten points in 5:20 of play and his last bucket tied the Eagles at 76.

The final five minutes belonged to ERAU's all-time leading scorer. The senior scored eight of the last ten points for the Eagles. He hit two buckets in the final 1:45 of the game to get ERAU a four-point lead to separate enough.

Johnson, Ibarra, Pomazanov and Edmier combined to score 78 of the team's 87 points. Johnson and Edmier each boarded ten apiece completing the first game of the season where two Eagles recorded a double-double.

ERAU will play Montana State-Northern University on Tuesday at 8:00 pm MST in the Cactus Classic.