by GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 2 Embry-Riddle (35-1) vs. No. 3 Cornerstone (Mich.) (31-5)
DATE: Monday, March 16, 2015
CITY: Point Lookout, Mo.
SITE: Keeter Gymnasium
TIP-OFF: 8 p.m. (CT)
LIVE STATS: National Tournament DakStats
LIVE AUDIO: ERAU Gameday Network
LIVE VIDEO: NAIA Network
SERIES: Cornerstone leads, 2-0
LAST MEETING: CU won 87-80 • March 10, 2001 (NAIA II National Tournament)
THE OPENING TIP
• Embry-Riddle meets Cornerstone in the 2015 NAIA II Men’s Basketball National Tournament Semifinals on Monday evening
• The Eagles have won 18 in a row and are coming off a 79-71 win over Southern Oregon in the quarterfinals
• The Golden Eagles are winners of 15 straight and 22 of their last 23 contests, their lone loss coming to Davenport on Jan. 24
• The Eagles are 18-13 all-time in the national tournament, and 14-8 at Keeter Gymnasium
• Cornerstone is 30-10 all-time in the national tournament, including two national titles (1999, 2011)
• Embry-Riddle’s 35 wins entering the semifinals are the most total wins in a season in NAIA II since Cardinal Stritch in 2012-13.
• Monday’s contest will pit two of the all-time great NAIA men’s basketball coaches against one another in Steve Ridder(640-230) and Kim Elders (559-211).
EMBRY-RIDDLE
The second-ranked Eagles are making their second appearance in the national semifinals, their first coming in 2000 when ERAU claimed the national championship. ERAU owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 straight victories, but will have to knock off a Cornerstone squad that is unbeaten in its last 15 games. The Eagles have averaged 81.3 points per game in the national tournament and are shooting a tournament-best 54.4 percent from the field.
Dalton Barnes continues to lead the Eagle offensive attack, averaging 15.0 points per game as a sophomore. Cesar Pastrana, who scored 26 in ERAU’s quarterfinal win over Southern Oregon, is pouring in 14.4 points per game and pulling down a team-best 8.1 rebounds per contest. DeForest Carter (Seminole Tribe of Florida) is the third Eagle averaging in double-figures at 13.1 ppg while also dishing out 7.0 assists, collecting 4.0 steals and grabbing 4.4 boards per outing.
Joseph Gonzalez comes off the bench for 9.9 points per game and a team-leading 50 percent from long range while Reed Ridder paces the team with 68 made threes on the season.
CORNERSTONE
Arguably the most impressive team thus far in the tournament, Cornerstone is 31-5 on the season after claiming the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament title with a win at Davenport in the title game. The Golden Eagles average 81.6 points per game and hold their opponents to just 68.3 per contest. CU shoots the ball at an impressive clip, especially from the perimeter. Cornerstone averages 50 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three, as well as 72 percent from the charity stripe.
True freshman Kyle Steigenga is having one of the best rookie campaigns in NAIA II history, averaging 21 points and 7.7 rebounds with a 70 percent field goal percentage. Ben Lanning is second on the team with a 16.1 ppg average and 8.3 boards per game while Cory Cox has connected on 92 triples on the season.
THE SERIES
Cornerstone is 2-0 all-time against ERAU, including a win in the NAIA II National Tournament Quarterfinals in 2001, 87-80.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,773 – Points scored by DeForest Carter, No. 5 on the all-time scoring list
825 – Career assists dished out by Carter, most all-time
708 – Career rebounds grabbed by Carter, 7th all-time
373 – Career steals recorded by Carter, most all-time
242 – Conference wins in program history
175 – 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
15 – NAIA National Tournament appearances
11 – 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
In 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 640 wins in 26 seasons as the Eagles’ head coach.
