GAMEDAY CENTRAL
NAIA II No. 2 Embry-Riddle (29-1, 17-1) vs. Webber International (13-18, 9-9)
DATE: Thursday, February 26, 2015
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE: ICI CenterTIP-OFF: 7 p.m. (EST)
LIVE STATS: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE AUDIO: ERAU Gameday NetworkLIVE VIDEO: ERAU Gameday NetworkSERIES: ERAU leads, 44-19LAST MEETING: ERAU, 96-71 • Jan. 17, 2015THE OPENING TIP• Embry-Riddle hosts Webber International in a Sun Conference quarterfinal on Thursday night.
• The Eagles are coming off a road victory at Johnson & Wales on Saturday, 77-69.
• The Blue and Gold have won 44 of 63 games against the Warriors, including the last five.
• The Eagles rank fifth in the nation in assists per game (18.7)
•
DeForest Carter currently ranks first in the NAIA in steals per game at 3.6 and sixth in the NAIA in assists per game at 6.53.
• Thursday's contest marks ERAU Head Coach
Steve Ridder's 865th career game.
EMBRY-RIDDLEThe second-ranked Embry-Riddle men's basketball team wrapped up its best regular season in program history on Saturday afternoon, moving to 29-1 overall with a 77-69 win over Johnson & Wales. The Eagles (29-1, 17-1) shot 55 percent from the field, getting 20 points from
Cesar Pastrana, 19 from
Dalton Barnes and 17 from
Reed Ridder to hold off the Wildcats (9-9, 12-16), outscoring the home team 8-2 over the final three minutes to earn the victory. The Blue and Gold had previously clinched the top seed in the conference 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 (13.7 ppg) paces the squad in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
DeForest Carter is bringing 12.7 points, 6.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 steals to the Eagles each night.
Joseph Gonzalez is the final Eagle in double-figures at 10.0 ppg while also grabbing 4.0 boards each contest.
WEBBER INTERNATIONALThe Warriors finished the regular season 13-18 overall and 9-9 in league play, earning the eighth seed in the conference tournament. Webber International averages 71.4 points per game and a 43.7 percent clip from the floor, while their opponents are scoring 73.5 points per contest and shooting 42.6 percent from the field.
Brian Pace leads WIU in scoring with 19.75 points per game and 1.3 steals per contest. Dewaine Lyals leads the team with 7.03 rebounds per game and is scoring 12.19 points per outing and Nate Morrell is the leading assist man at 4.07 per outing.
THE SERIESERAU is 44-19 against the Warriors, including five straight wins. Webber International last defeated the Eagles in a one-point game (87-86) on Feb. 13, 2013 inside the ICI Center.BY THE NUMBERS
1,682 - Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 7 on the all-time scoring list
1,269 - Points scored by Cesar Pastrana in his career, No. 18 on the all-time scoring list
837 - Career Points scored by Dalton Barnes, in just his second season as an Eagle834 - Career rebounds pulled down by Cesar Pastrana, ranked No. 3 in ERAU career history
770 - Career assists dished out by Carter, most all-time
682 - Career rebounds grabbed by Carter, 8th all-time634 - Wins by Head Coach Steve Ridder now in his 26th season with ERAU men's basketball
.617 - Career Field Goal Percentage by Cesar Pastrana, ranking third all-time
339 - Career steals recorded by Carter, most all-time
242 - Conference wins in program history
165 - Career blocks registered by Carter, 2nd all-time
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
9 - 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 634 wins in 26 seasons as the Eagles' head coach
