GAME CENTER
Post University (9-13, 7-6 CACC) at Caldwell College (12-9, 7-7 CACC)
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012 – 8 p.m.
George R. Newman Center – Caldwell, N.J.
CALDWELL, N.J. – The Post University men's basketball team can put some distance between itself and the rest of the pack in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North standings. The Eagles will travel to the George R. Newman Center to take on Caldwell Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. Post is a half-game ahead of Caldwell in the standings.
WHEN THEY LAST MET… JAN 26, 2012 – POST 91, CALDWELL 64 – RECAP | BOX
As a team, the Eagles turned in season-highs in points, 91, field goal percentage, 56.9 percent, and three-pointers made with 12. Individually,
Zach Krischer (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) shot 4-for-7 from distance and 7-for-13 from the field. He added two assists and two steals. Junior
Sarunas Jackson (Corona, Calif.), seniors
Josh Lopez (Anchorage, Alaska) and
James Lee (Montclair, N.J.) and junior
Dantay Sanford (Compton, Calif.) added 15, 12, 11 and 11 points, respectively.
Post (8-11, 6-4 CACC) closed the game on a 12-2 run over the final 5:24. The spurt included an alley-oop from Lopez to Jackson, and a three-pointer from Jackson as well. The run capped with a
Mark Spellman (Waterbury, Conn.) layup with 20 seconds to play to arrive at the final score.
Krischer scored 18 points off the bench to lead Post.
SERIES HISTORY:
Post has won eight out of 13 games against Caldwell since the 2005-06 season. The Eagles are 3-3 in matchups at Caldwell during the stretch, and have won the last two road matchups on Jan. 27, 2011 and Feb. 23, 2010. The Eagles can complete the season sweep at Caldwell on Thursday night, after Post defeated the Cougars, 91-64, at home on Jan. 26, 2012.
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS:
With five regular season contests remaining, the Eagles are in sole possession of second place in the CACC North Division with their 7-6 record. Post is a half-game ahead of Dominican and Caldwell, who are both .500. After they completed the season sweep of the Clippers on Tuesday, the Eagles hold head-to-head tiebreaks with Concordia. Bloomfield holds the lead in the North Division with a 13-2 CACC record.
A RARE FEAT ACCOMPLISHED AT POST:
In the Jan. 21, loss at Holy Family,
Jake Wilcox recorded 13 assists and no turnovers. His assist total is tied for sixth in a single game in Division II this season. Wilcox became one of three players in Division II this season with 13 assists and no turnovers. The others were Josh Magette of Alabama-Huntsville and Cameron Joyce of Northwood (Mich.).
TIGHT GAMES ARE TELLING:
In games decided by three points or less this season, Post boasts a 5-1 record. The Eagles have earned one-point victories over Bridgeport (Dec. 19 - 79-78), Queens (Jan. 2 - 71-70) and Nyack (Jan. 12), a two-point victory came against Concordia (Feb. 7), while a three-point margin decided the contest at Felician (Jan. 18). The lone loss came against Dominican in double overtime (Jan. 5 - 74-73).
SCOUTING THE COUGARS:
Caldwell enters Thursday's contest with a 12-9 record overall and is 6-3 in home games. Five players shoot at least 41 percent from the field and have over 130 attempts on the season. Nikola Otovic leads Caldwell with 16.7 points per game. In the last matchup against Post, Otovic led Caldwell with nine points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field. Michael Balkovic is the team's leading rebounder. He grabs 6.3 boards per game.
ON THE HORIZON:
Post will play three of its final four games at the Drubner Center. The Eagles welcome Chestnut Hill to Waterbury on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m.
