GAMEDAY CENTRAL
NAIA II No. 2 Embry-Riddle (27-1, 15-1) vs. Florida Memorial (3-22, 2-14)
DATE: Thursday, February 19, 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: ERAU leads, 43-13
LAST MEETING: ERAU, 76-59 • Jan. 31, 2015

THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle hosts Florida Memorial for the final regular season meeting between the two schools in conference play.
• The Eagles are coming off a home victory against Thomas on Tuesday, 94-70.
• The Blue and Gold have won 43 of 56 games against the Lions, including the last five.
• The Eagles rank fourth in the nation in assists per game (19.07)
• DeForest Carter currently ranks first in the NAIA in steals per game at 3.57 and sixth in the NAIA in assists per game at 6.57.
• Thursday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder's 863rd career game.

EMBRY-RIDDLE
The second-ranked Eagles led by 19 at the half and as many as 40 in the second half en route to a convincing 94-70 victory over the visiting Thomas Night Hawks on Tuesday. The Blue and Gold avenged its only defeat of the 2014-15 season with authority, leading for 38:54 of the 40-minute contest and not trailing at any point. Embry-Riddle has already clinched the regular season conference championship and an automatic berth in the NAIA II National Championship.

ERAU continues to be one of the most balanced teams in the league and country as four players average in double-figures. Dalton Barnes (13.7 ppg) leads the team in scoring while Cesar Pastrana (13.2 ppg) paces the squad in rebounding (8.1 rpg). DeForest Carter is bringing 13.0 points, 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 steals to the Eagles each night. Joseph Gonzalez is the final Eagle in double-figures at 10.4 ppg while also grabbing 4.1 boards each contest.

FLORIDA MEMORIAL
The Lions are 3-22 overall and 2-14 in league play. FMU wraps up its regular season with a Saturday contest against Southeastern. Florida Memorial averages 62.4 points per game and a 42.5 percent clip from the floor, while their opponents are scoring 74.3 points per contest and shooting 47.1 percent from the field.

Samuel Dorismond is the only Lion in double-figures, ranking 34th in NAIA II with 18.1 points per game. Davonte Byrd leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per contest and La Dante Berry-White is the leading assist man at 2.3 per outing.

THE SERIES
ERAU is 43-13 against the Lions, including five straight wins. Florida Memorial last defeated the Eagles in a one-point game (66-65) on Feb. 8, 2011. The last time FMU won in the ICI Center was a 67-62 decision on Jan. 27, 2007.

BY THE NUMBERS
1,665 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 7 on the all-time scoring list
1,227 - Points scored by Cesar Pastrana in his career, No. 19 on the all-time scoring list
821 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana, ranked No. 3 in ERAU career history
803 - Career Points scored by Dalton Barnes, in just his second season as an Eagle
758 - Career assists dished out by Carter, most all-time
675 - Career rebounds grabbed by Carter, 8th all-time
632 - 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
331 - Career steals recorded by Carter, most all-time
240 - 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 632 wins in 26 seasons as the Eagles' head coach