Thomas (16-12, 9-9) at Embry-Riddle (24-6, 13-5) March 1, 2014 • Daytona Beach, Fla. - ICI Center •  7 p.m. (2013-14 Stats) Stats at a Glance TU ERAU Scoring Average 76.4 75.1 FG Percentage .447 (770-1723) .473 (804-1701) 3PT FG Percentage .319 (134-420) .336 (194-578) FT Percentage .674 (455-675) .691 (450-651) Rebounds 35.1 40.1 Assists 11.1 17.7 Turnovers 15.4 16.1 Steals 8.3 8.3 Related Links • 2013-14 Embry-Riddle Stats • NAIA National Rankings

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Thomas at Embry-Riddle
DATE: Saturday, March 1, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ICI Center
TIP-OFF: 7 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
LIVE AUDIO: Stretch Internet
LIVE VIDEO: Stretch Internet
ON THE RADIO: WELE 1380 AM
SERIES: Tied 2-2
LAST MEETING: TU 96, ERAU 74 • Feb. 4, 204 - Thomasville, Ga.

THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle and Thomas will be playing for fifth time in men's basketball.
• The Eagles are on a three-game winning streak heading into Saturday's game
• ERAU is the No. 4 seed in the 2014 Sun Conference tournament field.
• Saturday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 833rd career game.

THE EAGLES
No. 20 Embry-Riddle begins its 2013-14 postseason journey on Saturday. The No. 4 seed in the 10-team conference tournament, the Embry-Riddle will host fifth-seeded Thomas at the ICI Center, in the Night Hawks' first TSC tournament appearance. The Eagles will be in search of their 11th Sun Conference Tournament title and their fourth in five seasons. The Eagles will put their 15-2 2013-14 home record, as well as the 22-0 home postseason record on the line in Saturday's contest.

Offensively, Embry-Riddle is averaging 75.1 point per game, while the defense is holding opponents to 62.7 points per contest and 39 percent shooting from the floor. Junior DeForest Carter is pacing the Eagles offense, averaging 14.6 points to go with six assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. Dalton Barnes averages 12.7 points, 4.9 boards and three assists per contest, while Cesar Pastrana is contributing 9.9 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds each game. Pastrana also has five double-doubles to his credit, while Carter and Rico Saldana have three double-doubles apiece. Carter has scored in double digits in 24 of the Eagles' 30 games this season.

Last Time Out
The 20th-ranked Embry-Riddle men's basketball team got a double-double from Cesar Pastrana (10 points, 11 rebounds) and dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Royals 42-20 en route to claiming a 70-52 win at Warner on Feb. 22.

With the win, the Eagles finish the regular season with a 24-6 record, 13-5 in Sun Conference play, while the Royals record falls to 11-18, 4-14 in conference.

DeForest Carter led all scorers with 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting including 2-of-6 from behind the arc and 6-of-9 at the free throw line. Reed Ridder and Jason Powell each chipped in 11 points, while Rico Saldana added six points and eight rebounds.

Eddie Delegal led the Royals with 13 points of 5-of-10 shooting while Antonio Ansley added 12 points and Mitch Rice tallied 10 points.

Warner jumped out front early, running ahead 12-3 in the first four minutes of the game. Back-to-back threes from Powell and Ridder pulled the Eagles to within two (14-12) with 13:15 left in the half, and a Hudson Cadet tip-in put the Blue and Gold in front for the first time, 20-19 with 7:54 until halftime. Just 2:06 later a Powell lay-up pushed the lead to six (26-20) and Embry-Riddle would go into the locker room with an eight-point cushion, 37-29.

O'Neil Lubin knocked down a jumper for the Royals that trimmed the lead to just three points (40-37) 2:33 into the second half, but that would prove to be the closest Warner would get for the rest of the contest. A Saldana tip-in sparked a 10-1 run that grew the lead to 50-38 with 13:56 remaining. Saldana threw down a thundering dunk with 12:07 left that increased the margin to 15 (55-40), taking most of the air of the building along with it. The Royals never threatened any sort of comeback as the Eagles went on to win the game, 70-52.

SCOUTING THOMAS
The Night Hawks have made a splash in their first season of competition in The Sun Conference. Thomas closed out the regular season a 9-9 in conference play and bring a 16-12 overall record in to Saturday's match-up. Head Coach Stephen Cox has one of the best players in the league in senior Justyn Watkins, who leads the conference and is 10th in NAIA II with 23.7 points per game. He has scored at least 12 points in all but one game this season and has scored 30 or more points in 10 outings.

As a team, Thomas is shooting 45 percent from the floor and 32 percent from beyond the arc. The Night Hawks have allowed their opponents to shoot 445 percent from the floor and 35 percent from long range.

THE ERAU-TU SERIES
The Eagles and the Night Hawks have each other just four times in men's basketball with each team notching two wins. Embry-Riddle and Thomas as won at home in the 2013-14 ERAU/TU series.

CHASING MILESTONES
Junior guard DeForest Carter has produced another stat-stuffing season, already in elite standing amongst the program greats. Here are his career ranks in several categories:
• 1,281 points (17th)
• 565 assists (tied for 2nd all-time)
• 534 rebounds
• 364 free throws made (5th)
• 226 steals (4th)
• 132 blocks (6th)

BY THE NUMBERS
1,281 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 17 on the all-time scoring list
605 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 25th season with ERAU men's basketball
576 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana
224 - Conference wins in program history
25 - Seasons under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Ridder
20 - The Eagles current national ranking
13 - NAIA National Tournament appearances
10 - Sun Conference Tournament titles
8 - Regular season conference championships
1 - NAIA National Championship (2000)

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 605 wins in 25 seasons as the Eagles' head coach.