GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 2 Embry-Riddle (17-0, 5-0) at (RV) Thomas (11-5, 2-4)
DATE: Tuesday, January 20, 2015
CITY: Thomasville, Ga.
SITE: Thomas Gymnasium
TIP-OFF: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
LIVE STATS: Thomas Gameday Network
LIVE AUDIO: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: Thomas Gameday Network
SERIES: Thomas leads, 3-2
LAST MEETING: TU, 96-77 • March 3, 2014

THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle treks to Thomasville, Ga. to take on Thomas in a Sun Conference contest.
• The Night Hawks are the only current TSC team to have a winning record against the Eagles (3-2)
• The Eagles are off to their best start (17-0) in program history.
• The Eagles are the last undefeated team in NAIA II and the only team without a loss in Sun Conference play.
• Dalton Barnes leads the Blue and Gold offensively, averaging 15.6 ppg overall and 18.6 ppg in TSC action.
• DeForest Carter currently ranks first in the NAIA in steals per game at 4.0 and third in the NAIA in assists per game at 7.0.
• Cesar Pastrana ranks fourth in the country with a 64.4 field goal percentage.
• Tuesday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 852nd career game.

EMBRY-RIDDLE
Embry-Riddle enters Tuesday's game at 17-0 and 5-0 in The Sun Conference with a two-game lead in the loss column in league play. ERAU was dominant in its 96-71 win over second-place Webber International on Saturday, shooting 59.6 percent from the field for the second-highest mark of the season.

The Blue and Gold are averaging a 52.6 percent clip from the floor in TSC games, including a 39.4 percent average from long range. Reed Ridder has been the Eagle leader from deep, connecting on 32-of-76 from beyond the arc. Dalton Barnes leads all scorers for ERAU at 15.6 ppg, followed by seniors Cesar Pastrana and DeForest Carter and 13.4 ppg and 11.3 ppg, respectively.

THOMAS
The Night Hawks are looking to snap a four-game losing streak on Tuesday after a 93-80 road loss to Southeastern on Saturday. Thomas won its first nine games of the season, but have struggled in conference play at 2-4. TU is averaging a league-best 81.6 points per contest while shooting the ball at a 49.3 percent clip.

Alan Love leads the way for the Night Hawks, averaging 17.2 ppg and 6.4 rebounds per outing while Adonai Rogers is at 15.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Max Grace (12.6 ppg) and Marcus Humose (11.8 ppg) are the other two TU scorers averaging doubel-figures.

THE SERIES
The Night Hawks are 3-2 all-time against the Eagles, including a 2-1 mark last season. Thomas revived their basketball program last season and after losing to ERAU early in the conference season, won at home before winning in the conference tournament quarterfinals in the ICI Center. That win marked the first time the Eagles had ever lost a postseason game in the ICI Center.

BY THE NUMBERS
1,494 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 12 on the all-time scoring list
1,085 - Points scored by Cesar Pastrana in his career, No. 23 on the all-time scoring list
726 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana, ranked No. 6 in ERAU career history
693 - Career assists dished out by Carter, most all-time
686 - Career Points scored by Dalton Barnes, in just his second season as an Eagle
622 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 26th season with ERAU men's basketball
.614 - Career Field Goal Percentage by Cesar Pastrana, ranking third all-time
620 - Career rebounds grabbed by Carter
300 - Career steals recorded by Carter, most all-time
229 - 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
10 - Sun Conference Tournament titles
8 - Regular season conference championships
2 - The Eagles' current national ranking
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 622 wins in 26 seasons as the Eagles' head coach.