GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 13 Embry-Riddle vs. Sterling
DATE: Saturday, November 8, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ICI Center
TIP-OFF: 7 p.m. (ET)
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE AUDIO: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: ERAU Gameday Network
SERIES: ERAU leads 2-0
LAST MEETING: ERAU 74, SC 58 • Nov. 3, 2012 - Daytona Beach, Fla.

THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle and Sterling will be playing for the third time with ERAU holding a 2-0 all-time advantage.
• The Blue and Gold is opening its final NAIA season on Saturday before the department's transition to the NCAA II and the Sunshine State Conference.
• Embry-Riddle is 22-4 in season openers, including 10 consecutive first-game victories since 2003.
• The Eagles No. 13 preseason ranking marks the sixth straight season the Eagles have been ranked in the preseason national poll.
• Saturday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 835th career game.

THE EAGLES
The NAIA II No. 13 Embry-Riddle Eagles open their final season in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tonight, hosting the Sterling Warriors. The Embry-Riddle Athletic Department will be making the transition to the NCAA II and Sunshine State Conference following the 2014-15 academic and athletic year.

Head Coach Steve Ridder, set to begin his 26th season at the helm of the Blue and Gold program, has a roster that features nine upperclassmen, including six seniors with four returning starters from the 2013-14 campaign. ERAU advanced to the NAIA II National Tournament for the 14th time a season ago, finishing the year with a 24-8 overall record and 13-5 mark in The Sun Conference.

Returning stat-stuffer and two-time Honorable Mention All-American DeForest Carter headlines the Eagle squad, already ranking amongst some of the all-time great Eagles statistically. Carter averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game last year to go along with his 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest.

Sophomore Dalton Barnes is back for his second season with the Eagles after a rookie campaign that saw Barnes earn second team All-Conference honors in addition to TSC All-Defensive Team accolades. Also returning is senior Cesar Pastrana who had a second team All-Sun Conference season in which the Cartagena, Colombia native shot better than 66 percent from the field.

SCOUTING STERLING
Sterling enters tonight's contest already having played two games in 2014 (the Warriors played Edward Waters on Friday night in Jacksonville after the printing of this program), and was picked to finish second in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference behind Braden Thompson who was a preseason All-KCAC selection.

Head Coach Dean Jaderston's team downed 2013-14 national tournament participant Oklahoma Wesleyan in the season opener, 81-69 behind a 55 percent shooting effort from the floor with 20 assists on 29 field goals. Brandon Stacker came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points for Sterling on 7-for-9 shooting, while Josiah Ray poured in 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 22 minutes of action.

BY THE NUMBERS
1,302 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 17 on the all-time scoring list
605 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 26th season with ERAU men's basketball
595 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana
224 - Conference wins in program history
90.9% - Production returning from 2013-14 to this year's squad
26 - Seasons under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Ridder
14 - NAIA National Tournament appearances
13 - The Eagles current national ranking
10 - Sun Conference Tournament titles
8 - Regular season conference championships
1 - NAIA National Championship (2000)

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Heading into his 26th 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 605 wins in 25+ seasons as the Eagles' head coach.