GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle at Thomas
DATE: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2014
CITY: Thomasville, Ga.
SITE: TU Gymnasium
TIP-OFF: 7 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
LIVE AUDIO: Stretch Internet
ON THE RADIO: WELE 1380 AM
SERIES: ERAU leads, 2-1
LAST MEETING: ERAU 78, TU 72 • Jan. 9, 2014 - Daytona Beach, Fla.
THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle and Thomas will be playing for just the fourth time in men's basketball.
• The Night Hawks have lost two straight, both on the road.
• ERAU is 6-1 on the road in 2013-14.
• Wednesday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 826th career game.
THE EAGLES
Embry-Riddle bounced back from a loss to Northwood last Wednesday with a defensive win over Florida Memorial on the road on Saturday. The Eagles held the Lions to 36-percent from the floor and just 49 total points, the 10th time ERAU has allowed less than 60 points in a game this year.
DeForest Carter and Dalton Barnes have carried much of the Eagle offensive load in 2013-14, averaging 15.4 and 13.6 points respectively. The Eagles have four additional players averaging more than 8.0 points per contest, led by Cesar Pastrana's 9.1 ppg. Pastrana also paces the Blue and Gold with 7.3 rebounds per contest.
Of the Eagles' seven remaining games, five are on the road with two coming at the ICI Center.
Last Time Out
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The third-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles put together a solid defensive effort in South Florida, emerging with a 59-49 win over Florida Memorial on the road Saturday night. The Eagles (20-3, 9-2) built a 10-point halftime lead before the Lions (7-15, 4-7) battled back to tie it up with 10 minutes left in the 2nd, but the visitors answered by outscoring the hosts by 10 to end the game.
The Blue and Gold shot 40-percent from the field and just 20-percent from long range, but the defensive effort put forth by ERAU was impressive as the Lions could manage just 36-percent from the floor and 15-percent from deep with the Eagles dominating the boards, 47-26.
The Eagles jumped out to a 5-2 lead on a Dalton Barnes' layup and stayed in front of the Lions by a possession over the next few minutes of play. Cesar Pastrana put ERAU in front 11-6 with a layup off a pretty pass from Rico Saldana, but FMU kept the Eagles within striking distance until a three-pointer by Reed Ridder sparked a 7-0 run as Embry-Riddle took a 20-11 lead with seven minutes left in the half.
When the Lions cut the Eagle lead to 21-16, Daniel Kiesling hit a jumper and Barnes followed with a trey as the Eagles went up by 10. Barnes scored the last bucket of the half with 28 seconds left and the visitors' defense did not allow FMU to convert on their offensive possession as the Eagles took a 28-18 lead into the break.
Florida Memorial didn't waste time trimming the deficit as the Lions scored the first six points of the second half. Kiesling's trey with 16:34 on the clock ended the FMU run, but the Lions were able to get it back to a one possession game when Hanif Malloy hit a jumper for a 32-29 score.
Embry-Riddle held a 36-32 lead when Pastrana got an offensive rebound and lay-in, but FMU tied the game with back-to-back layups.
The Eagles went to Pastrana in the post on the next trip down the floor and the junior was fouled before sinking both free throws to reclaim the lead for ERAU, one they would never relinquish.
The Eagles went up 43-39 on a pair of Kiesling free throws and a three-point play by Hudson Cadet gave the visitors a 47-41 cushion with just under seven minutes remaining.
Neither team could score until DeForest Carter hit one from the charity stripe with 4:30 left, but again the Lions responded, bringing themselves back to within one possession at 50-47.
Embry-Riddle finished the contest on a 9-2 run to cement the win, starting with runners from Carter and Barnes.
Barnes led the Eagles with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting while Kiesling added 12 and Pastrana finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
SCOUTING THOMAS
The Night Hawks have made an immediate impact in The Sun Conference in their first season of play, posting a 5-6 mark in league action. Justyn Watkins leads the league with 23.9 points per game, also pulling down 5.6 rebounds and recording 1.7 steals per game.
Max Grace (13.6) and Trey Gosier (11.9) both averaging in double figures on the offensive end while Fare'al Walker and Andrea Robinson grab a combined 15.2 rebounds per game for Thomas.
Thomas has played seven games decided by six or less points and are 7-4 at home in 2013-14.
THE ERAU-TU SERIES
Embry-Riddle leads the all-time series 2-1 after January's win in Daytona Beach. The Night Hawks discontinued their basketball program following the 1999-00 season and started it back up prior to the 2013-14 season.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,198 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 18 on the all-time scoring list
601 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 25th season with ERAU men's basketball
531 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana
220 - 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
3 - The Eagles' current national ranking
1 - NAIA National Championship (2000)
EXCLUSIVE CLUB
Junior guard DeForest Carter continues to etch his name in the Embry-Riddle record book, joingin a very exclusive club. Carter has career totals of 1,198 points, 529 assists, 507 rebounds, 205 steals and 124 blocks. The only other Eagle to achieve those types of numbers was Tom Fagley (1990-94) who finished his career with 1,569 points, 690 rebounds, 569 assists, 277 steals and 155 blocked shots.
FROSH PHENOM
Dalton Barnes hasn't played like a freshman this season, ranking second on the team and first amongst TSC freshmen in scoring at 13.6 points per game. The Port Orange, Fla. native has led the Eagles in scoring in eight games, including four of the last five contests.
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 601 wins in 25 seasons as the Eagles' head coach. |
Embry-Riddle (20-3, 9-2)
at
Thomas (12-9, 5-6)
2/4/14 | Thomasville, Ga. - TU Gymnasium | 7 p.m.
(2013-14 Stats)
|
Stats at a Glance |
TU |
ERAU |
|
Scoring Average |
75.6 |
77.3 |
|
FG Percentage |
.444 (582-1311) |
.488 (638-1307) |
|
3PT FG Percentage |
.295 (91-308) |
.340 (151-444) |
|
FT Percentage |
.677 (333-492) |
.689 (350-508) |
|
Rebounds |
35.9 |
39.7 |
|
Assists |
11.4 |
18.5 |
|
Turnovers |
16.0 |
16.1 |
|
Steals |
8.2 |
8.7 |
|
Related Links |
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• 2013-14 Embry-Riddle Stats |
|
• NAIA National Rankings |
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