Game Center: Coming off just its second loss of the season, the Post University men's basketball team will begin a four-game homestand on Sunday, Dec. 16. The Eagles will host Northeast-10 Conference foe St. Anselm at the Drubner Center. Game time is set for 3 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available on
http://www.PostEagles.com.
The matchup features the top scoring offense in the Northeast-10 in the Hawks, which nets 84.4 points per game against the second ranked offense in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). The Eagles pour in 77.1 points per game, just 0.1 points per game behind the conference leader, Felician. Juniors
Jerry Cummings (Queens, N.Y.),
Stephen Perry (Westampton, N.J.) and
Zach Krischer (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) average 15.5, 15.0 and 11.6 points per game respectively. Senior
Jake Wilcox (Kent, Wash.) leads the conference with 6.9 assists per game, and a total of 69 this season.
The matchup is the first of two against the Northeast-10 during the homestand. American International will visit the Drubner Center on Dec. 30.
Game Notes:Last Time Out: Chestnut Hill 70, Post 66 (OT) –
Recap |
Box ScoreDespite a game-tying layup by senior guard
Jake Wilcox with two seconds remaining in regulation to knot the score at 57-57, the Post University men's basketball team dropped its first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest of the season at Chestnut Hill on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles dropped a 70-66 overtime decision to the Griffins. Junior
Zach Krischer paced Post with 16 points.
After junior
Jerry Cummings scored the opening basket of the overtime period to give Post a 59-57 lead, Chestnut Hill ripped off a 9-0 run over a span of 3:43 to claim an eight-point advantage with 33 seconds to play. The Griffins led 67-59. The Eagles could not cut the deficit to fewer than four points the rest of the way.
Receiving Votes:For the third consecutive week, Post received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25. This week the Eagles garnered four votes and are 28 votes behind #25 Alaska-Anchorage. Post began receiving national consideration on Nov. 27.
Previous Vote Totals:
Dec. 11 – Four votes
Dec. 4 – 12 votes
Nov. 27 – Six votes
Following A Loss: After its only loss of the season in the opener against Molloy, a 67-64 defeat at Molloy, Post responded with a one-point overtime win against Queens. This season, the Eagles are 1-0 after a loss. In the contest against the Knights on Nov. 10,
Jerry Cummings netted his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to pace four Post players in double figures. The victory kick-started an eight-game win streak, which matched the longest in Post's NCAA Division II history.
Among The Nation's Elite:In the NCAA Division II statistics report released on Dec. 11, Post is ranked in the top 30 in the country in five categories. The Eagles sit third in three-point field goals made per game (11.6), 13
th in three-point field goal defense (26.4 percent), 17
th in three-point field goal percentage (43.0 percent), 22
nd in blocked shots per game (4.7) and 24
th in field goal defense (38.5 percent).
Powered By Individuals:Four Eagles' student-athletes are ranked in the top 25 nationally in five statistical categories. In three of the stats, the Post player also leads the CACC for individuals who are at the NCAA minimum requirement.
Jake Wilcox leads the conference and is ranked 10
th nationally with 6.9 assists per game. He is also 21
st in steals per game with an average of 2.9.
Sarunas Jackson is ranked 10
th in blocks per game and deflects 2.7 shots per night. Shooters
Zach Krischer and
Stephen Perry are both in the top 20 in three-point field goal categories. Perry and Krischer are ranked 12
th and 20
th respectively in three-pointers per game with marks of 3.5 and 3.2. Perry is 10
th in three-point field goal percentage. He shoots at a clip of 53.0 percent.
Eight Straight Wins:After its season-opening loss to Molloy on the road, Post won eight straight contests, including four at home. The winning streak is the longest under head coach
Al Sokaitis and it has matched the longest in the program's NCAA Division II history. The streak was snapped in a 70-66 overtime defeat against CACC foe Chestnut Hill on Saturday, Dec. 8.
CACC Player Of The Week:Junior guard
Stephen Perry was named the CACC men's basketball player of the week on Tuesday, Nov. 27. In a pair of Post home wins, Perry shot 10-for-15 from three-point range and 11-for-18 from the field as Post collected home wins over Concordia and Queens last week. He netted 22 points in the team's second straight CACC win, an 87-70 decision over Concordia, to open the season, including six triples made. Perry rounded out the week with a 5-for-7 performance from the floor as he scored 15 points against Queens in an 83-67 win. For the week, he shot a perfect 5-for-5 at the foul line and averaged 18.5 points per game in the victories.
Dialed In From Distance: Over a seven-game span from Nov. 14 – Dec. 4, the Eagles are shooting 48.1 percent (90-for-187) from three-point range. During the stretch, Post did not shot less than 43 percent from three-point range. The Eagles hit a season-high 16 triples and shot 64 percent from beyond the arc in an 86-48 win at Nyack on Nov. 14. As a team, Post has shot greater than 50 percent from distance in three games during the stretch.
All-Time Series With St. Anselm:Post is 0-5 all-time against St. Anselm, a Northeast-10 Conference opponent. The Eagles and the Hawks have only met once in Waterbury, where the hosts dropped a one-point contest on Dec. 19, 2010.
Previous Results:11/19/11........... A..... L, 70-41
12/19/10........... H..... L, 72-71
12/29/09........... N. L, 107-103
12/21/09........... A..... L, 80-72
12/29/04........... N... L, 107-72
Scouting the Hawks: Winners of four of its last five, including an eight-point victory over #7 Franklin Pierce, St. Anselm stands at 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the NE-10 this season. As a team, the Hawks lead the conference in scoring (84.4 per game) and maintain a field goal percentage of 45.4. St. Anselm has scored over 70 points in all eight contests this year and its scoring average is ranked 27
th in the country. Individually, Roy Mabrey, a two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Week, leads the team in scoring with 18.1 points per game. He shoots 42.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Mike McCahey adds 17.9 points and a team-high 7.5 boards per game. McCahey earned NE-10 Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 13 and Dec. 2. St. Anselm enters the contest 1-0 against the CACC this season after a 101-84 season-opening victory over Concordia on Nov. 10.
Internationally Known:Post men's basketball head coach
Al Sokaitis was named the Tanzania national head coach of the men's and women's basketball programs on Aug. 29. The goal is for the country to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
Preseason Prognostications: The Eagles were tabbed to finish third in the North Division of the CACC Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released on Monday, Nov. 12. Post totaled 59 points and one first place vote from the league's 13 head coaches. Sokaitis' team was picked behind Bloomfield and Dominican in the North Division.
On The Horizon: Post will continue its four-game homestand on Wednesday, Dec. 19, when it hosts Felician in a CACC contest. The opening tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. CPTV will film the game, which will air on tape delay in the future.
