GAMEDAY CENTRAL
NAIA II No. 2 Embry-Riddle (26-1, 14-1) vs. Thomas (18-8, 9-7)
DATE: Tuesday, February 17, 2015
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ICI Center
TIP-OFF: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE AUDIO: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: ERAU Gameday Network
SERIES: Thomas leads, 4-2
LAST MEETING: TU, 77-70 • Jan. 20, 2015

THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle hosts Thomas for the final regular season meeting between the two schools in conference play.
• The Eagles are coming off a home victory against St. Thomas on Saturday, 77-68, which clinched the outright 2014-15 Sun Conference regular season title and an automatic berth to the 2015 NAIA II National Tournament in Point Lookout, Mo.
• Thomas is the only conference member to own a winning record against the Eagles, leading the all-time series, 4-2
• The Eagles rank third in the nation in rebounding margin (+8.2)
• DeForest Carter currently ranks first in the NAIA in steals per game at 3.56 and sixth in the NAIA in assists per game at 6.56.
• Tuesday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 862nd career game.

EMBRY-RIDDLE
The second-ranked Eagles clinched the outright 2014-15 Sun Conference regular season title on Saturday evening with a win against St. Thomas, marking the ninth regular season championship in program history. ERAU has three games remaining in the regular season before The Sun Conference Tournament begins where the Eagles will be the No. 1 seed and have home-court advantage throughout the tournament.

ERAU continues to be one of the most balanced teams in the league and country as four players average in double-figures. Dalton Barnes (13.9 ppg) leads the team in scoring while Cesar Pastrana (13.5 ppg) paces the squad in rebounding (8.2 rpg). DeForest Carter is bringing 12.8 points, 6.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 steals to the Eagles each night. Joseph Gonzalez is the final Eagle in double-figures at 10.3 ppg while also grabbing 4.1 boards each contest.

THOMAS
The Night Hawks are 18-8 overall and 9-7 in league play, tied for third with Johnson & Wales. Thomas wraps up its regular season with a Saturday contest at Northwood. TU averages 78.8 points per game and a 48 percent clip from the floor. The Night Hawks also have four players averaging in double-figures.

Alan Love is a force inside, averaging 17.2 points and 61 percent from the field while grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game. Adonai Rogers is at 13.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg while Max Grace (12.9 ppg) and Marcus Humose (10.9) round out the double-figures scorers for Thomas.

THE SERIES
Thomas is 4-2 all-time against the Eagles, including a 3-1 mark since reinstituting the basketball program last season. TU is the only team to ever beat ERAU in the ICI Center in a postseason contest.

BY THE NUMBERS
1,647 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 7 on the all-time scoring list
1,221 - Points scored by Cesar Pastrana in his career, No. 19 on the all-time scoring list
816 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana, ranked No. 3 in ERAU career history
795 - Career Points scored by Dalton Barnes, in just his second season as an Eagle
751 - Career assists dished out by Carter, most all-time
669 - Career rebounds grabbed by Carter, 8th all-time
631 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 26th season with ERAU men's basketball
.612 - Career Field Goal Percentage by Cesar Pastrana, ranking third all-time
327 - Career steals recorded by Carter, most all-time
239 - 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 now has 631 wins in 26 seasons as the Eagles' head coach.