by DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On a night filled with milestones, the NAIA II No. 7 Embry-Riddle men’s basketball team matched a program-best 13-0 start with a 65-51 win over Ashford (Iowa) in the championship game of the 2015 Bahama House & Best Western Aku Tiki Shootout on Saturday evening. The Eagles, the last remaining undefeated team in NAIA II, put four players in double-figures, led by tournament MVP Dalton Barnes‘ 16, to duplicate the 2007-08 squad’s 13-0 start, holding Ashford (6-10) to their second-lowest point total of the season.
DeForest Carter (Seminole Tribe of Florida) had a night to remember for the Blue and Gold, breaking not one, but two career records. The Big Cypress, Fla. native collected his 661st career assist on a Daniel Kiesling layup in the first half, breaking Ryan Rothrock’s (1999-02) career record of 13 years. In the second half, Carter recorded his 287th career steal, passing Tom Fagley (1990-94) for the most all-time.
The Saints came out strong in the opening moments, going up 5-0 while holding the Eagles scoreless until Carter made a free throw with 16:39 left in the frame. However, the Eagles clawed back with a three from Kiesling and another from Barnes, taking a 7-5 lead before Cesar Pastrana got into the act with a layup off a Barnes’ assist.
A Pastrana layup that gave the Eagles a 13-5 advantage caused a timeout from Ashford, but the hosts were able to stay in front by multiple possessions for the rest of the first half, thanks to five three-points, two each from Barnes and Carter.
The Blue and Gold enjoyed a 13-point cushion after a triple from Carter under two minutes, but four straight points from the Saints brought Ashford to within 32-23 at the break.
Exiting the locker room, the Eagles once again had an early second half spurt, outscoring AU 9-4 to take a 14 point lead on a technical foul free throw from Reed Ridder.
Barnes’ connected on his third shot from long range at the 12:17 mark and the Saints couldn’t seem to stop the Eagles offensively over the next few minutes as Carter and Joseph Gonzalez made layups, followed by a trey from Ridder as the lead grew to 54-38.
Defensively, the Eagles made Ashford use most of the shot clock on nearly every possession, forcing 12 turnovers in the game and Kiesling put the game out of reach with a three-pointer off a Carter assist with eight minutes left to give ERAU a 59-41 lead, a lead that would hold up for the rest of the night.
Barnes finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists while Pastrana recorded 13 points and six rebounds, moving past both Austin Brownlee and Jason Cruse on the all-time scoring list with 1,050 career points. Carter added 12 points, six assists, four steals and four rebounds and Kiesling scored 10 points for Embry-Riddle.
Diamontae McKinley (14 points) and Dominique Walls (12 points) were both named to the All-Tournament team for the Saints. Carter joined Barnes on the All-Tournament team for the Blue and Gold.
Embry-Riddle stretched its winning streak in the Bahama House Shootout to 14 games, claiming the 12th Shootout title in program history.
ERAU, now complete of its non-conference schedule, will focus on the heart of Sun Conference play, beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 7 against Warner. Tip is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start in Lake Wales, Fla.
All-Tournament Team
Hakeem Stewart, Grace
Dante Turnipseed, Tennessee Wesleyan
Diamonte McKinley, Ashford
Dominique Walls, Ashford
DeForest Carter, Embry-Riddle
Dalton Barnes, Embry-Riddle – MVP
