GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Salisbury at Embry-Riddle (0-0)
DATE: Monday, Dec. 31, 2013
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ICI Center (1,968)
TIP-OFF: 6 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
LIVE AUDIO: Stretch Internet
LIVE VIDEO: Stretch Internet
ON THE RADIO: WELE 1380 AM
SERIES: First Meeting
THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle and Salisbury are meeting in men's basketball for the first time.
• Embry-Riddle is ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Division II men's basketball poll for the 19th time in program history. .
• Monday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 814th career game. He is 590-223 in his 25th season with the Eagle basketball program.
THE EAGLES
The top-ranked Embry-Riddle men's basketball team is 11-1 on the year after falling to NAIA I Our Lady of the Lake on Dec. 12.
Embry-Riddle is scoring 82.6 points per game while holding opponents to 64.3 per contest. The Eagles have only been within 10 points of any opponent this season and the team is outscoring opponents by 18.3 points on average. The Blue and Gold ranks first in NAIA II in three-point field percentage defense (25.9 percent) and second in field goal percentage defense, holding opposing teams to 37.6 percent shooting.
Junior co-captain DeForest Carter is leading the Eagle squad in four categories, including points per game (15.18), assists per gam (7.27), steals per game (2.64) and blocks per game (1.73). He leads the nation in assists per game and is seventh and eighth in steals per game and total assists (80), respectively.
Last Time Out
The top-ranked Embry-Riddle (10-1) men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 91-85 to NAIA I Our Lady of the Lake (5-5) on Dec. 12 at the Saints' Mabee Gymnasium. Junior DeForest Carter matched his jersey number with 24 points and his performance made him the 27th ERAU basketball player to join the 1,000-point club.
The NAIA I leader in turnover margin (11.11) and three pointers made (13.44 per game), the Saints made five of their nine three-point attempts in the first half, but it was there defense that was most troublesome for the Eagles who turned the ball over 14 times in the first 20 minutes of play.
ERAU scored the first bucket of the game, but Our Lady of the Lake scored seven unanswered points over the next five minutes to open up an 11-4 lead. Reed Ridder came off the bench to hit one of his four three-point baskets to pull the Eagles within one (16-15) with 9:16 left in the first half, but the Saints outscored the Eagles 18-9 over the next six minutes to extend the advantage to 34-24 and led 42-33 at the half.
The Eagles had a chance to close the gap without any time running off the clock to start the second frame as OLLU was assessed a technical foul during the break. Jason Powell hit both free throws and that sparked a 9-1 Eagle run that made it a one-point (43-42) game with 18:29 left in the contest.
ERAU still trailed by one at the 16-minute mark, but the Saints capitalized on three consecutive Eagle turnovers to widen the gap and led by 13 (84-71) with 3:44 left to play.
The Eagles continued to battle, cutting the lead to six (89-83) following a three-point play by Carter with 54 seconds left. Dalton Barnes picked off the ensuing inbounds pass and drove to the basket, but was unable to convert, giving the ball back to the Saints. OLLU didn't score on any of their next four possessions and although Barnes was able to cut it to four (89-85) with a lay-up, the Eagles ran out of time as Xavier Roberson, who scored a game-high 27 points, knocked down a pair of free throws with three seconds showing on the clock to seal the six-point win.
SCOUTING SALISBURY
Under the guidance of Head Coach Josh Merkel, Salisbury is playing its third game of the Land of Magic Classic. The Sea Gulls are 1-1 in tournament play and bring a 3-5 overall record into Monday's contest.
Nick Harwood is averaging 13.3 points per game to lead Sea Gulls in scoring. Harwood is also the Sea Gulls' main threat from long range, shooting the three at a 45.8 percent clip. Gordon Jeter averages 8.4 points per contest and is Salisbury's leading rebounder, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.
THE ERAU-SU SERIES
The Eagles and the Sea Gulls will be meeting for the first time on the basketball court on Monday.
1,000-POINT CLUB
Against Our Lady of the Lake (Dec. 14), DeForest Carter scored a team-high 24 points. That total helped the junior become the 27th member of Embry-Riddle's 1,000 Point Club. Carter currently ranks third in the nation in assists per game (6.81) and is already fifth on the all-time assists chart with 464 and seventh in blocked shots with 113.
BY THE NUMBERS
590 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 25th season with ERAU men's basketball
213 - Conference wins in program history
25 - Seasons under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Ridder
13 - NAIA National Tournament appearances
10 - Sun Conference Tournament titles
8 - Regular season conference championships
1 - The Eagles' current national ranking
1 - NAIA National Championship (2000)
THE EAGLES AT NO. 1
The Eagles are 49-7 all-time as the top-ranked team in the land. Embry-Riddle spent the entire 2000-01 season at No. 1, going 32-4 and went 15-2 in 2006 as the top-ranked squad.
PRESEASON CONFERENCE FAVORITES
The Sun Conference coaches chose Embry-Riddle as the favorite to win the 2013-14 Sun Conference regular season title according to the coaches' poll, which was conducted in October. The Eagles received75 total points, including four first-place votes, followed by Northwood (72), St. Thomas (70), Southeastern (49) and Warner (47).
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Heading into his 25th season at the helm of the ERAU men's basketball program, Head Coach Steve Ridder ranks fifth on the NAIA Division II men's basketball winningest active coaches listing. Ridder has 581 wins in 24 seasons as the Eagles' head coach. |
Salisbury (3-5)
at
Embry-Riddle (10-1)
12/31/13 | Daytona Beach, Fla. - ICI Center | 6 p.m.
(2013-14 Stats)
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Stats at a Glance |
SU |
ERAU |
|
Scoring Average |
66.7 |
82.6 |
|
FG Percentage |
.424 (158-373) |
.495 ( 324-655) |
|
3PT FG Percentage |
.314 (44-140) |
.336 (73-217) |
|
FT Percentage |
.715 |
.701 |
|
Rebounds |
33.3 |
41.2 |
|
Assists |
9.7 |
18.6 |
|
Turnovers |
14.0 |
16.0 |
|
Steals |
5.3 |
8.7 |
|
Related Links |
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• 2013-14 Embry-Riddle Stats |
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• NAIA National Ranking |
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