Freshman Dalton Barnes will make is debut at the NAIA II National Tournament on Wednesday
Embry-Riddle (24-7)
vs.
No. 10 Midland (26-5)
March 12, 2014 • Point Lookout, Mo. - Keeter Gym • 8:30 a.m.
(2013-14 Stats)
|
Stats at a Glance |
MU |
ERAU |
|
Scoring Average |
78.0 |
75.1 |
|
FG Percentage |
.493 (883-1790) |
.470 (828-1760) |
|
3PT FG Percentage |
.365 (209-572) |
.337 (203-603) |
|
FT Percentage |
.695 (443-637) |
.690 (470-681) |
|
Rebounds |
33.3 |
39.7 |
|
Assists |
12.7 |
17.5 |
|
Turnovers |
10.3 |
16.1 |
|
Steals |
7.5 |
8.4 |
|
Related Links |
|
• 2013-14 Embry-Riddle Stats |
|
• NAIA National Rankings |
|
|
|
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle vs. No. 10 Midland
DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 2014
CITY: Point Lookout, Mo.
SITE: Keeter Gymnasium
TIP-OFF: 8:30 a.m. (CT)
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
LIVE AUDIO: Stretch Internet
LIVE VIDEO: NAIA Streaming
SERIES: First Meeting
Embry-Riddle National Tournament HQ
THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle and Midland will be playing for the first time.
• The Eagles are trying to snape a three game losing streak at the NAIA National Tournament.
• ERAU is unseeded in the 2014 National Tournament.
• Wednesday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 834th career game.
THE EAGLES
No. 21 Embry-Riddle got new life in the 2013-14 season by earning an at-large berth to the NAIA II National Tournament. The Eagles are making their 14th appearnace in the 32-team event, the third-most of any of the schools in the field. ERAU is 15-12 all-time in the tournament with a national title in 2000, the first year the championship was held at the College of the Ozarks.
DeForest Carter, a first team All-Sun Conference selection, leads the Eagles in nearly every statistical category, including 14.4 points, 5.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest. Carter was joined by both Dalton Barnes and Cesar Pastrana on the All-Conference roster as both Eagles were selected to the second team. Barnes was named the league's Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists as a redshirt Freshman. Pastrana scores 9.9 points and pulls down 7.4 rebounds for the Blue and Gold while shooting 67 percent from the floor.
SCOUTING MIDLAND
No. 10 Midland University (26-5) received the second of 10 at-large bids to the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Midland opened the season ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Preseason Poll and has been ranked in the Top 25 in the 11 subsequent polls. The Warriors have been ranked as high as No. 7 (twice) and have been in the Top 10 in 10 of the 12 polls this season.
Midland's 26 wins entering the National Tournament are a new school record. The Warriors surpassed the previous record of 21 victories, which was set by last year's squad, on February 5th with a win over Grace University, 95-56.
Entering the National Championships, Midland is led by Ben Imig in scoring (17.9 ppg) and assists (1.7 apg), Alex Starkel in rebounding (5.3 rpg), Galen Gullie in steals (1.32 spg) and three-point shooting (41%), and Montrel Billups in blocks (1.19 bpg). Starkel has recorded four double-doubles on the season.
Ranked at No. 15 at the time, the Warriors traveled to South Florida to compete in the Cruzin' Classic over winter break. Midland upset No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan, 85-81, then proceeded to defeat No. 19 St. Thomas University, 60-48, on the Bobcats' home court without the services of point guard Ben Imig, who was sidelined for the game with an injury. St. Thomas is the only opponent both Midland and Embry-Riddle have had in common this year, with the Eagles falling to the Bobcats in both contests that they met, 67-63 and 60-58.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,290 - 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
594 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana
224 - Conference wins in program history
25 - Seasons under the guidance of Head Coach Steve Ridder
21 - The Eagles current national ranking
14 - 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.
