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GAME CENTER

Friday, Dec. 20 – 4 p.m. Post (2-6) at American International (4-7) Butova Gymnasium – Springfield, Mass. Coverage: Live Stats | Video

Sunday, Dec. 22 – 1:30 p.m. Post (2-6) at Saint Anselm (6-3) Stoutenburgh Gym – Manchester, N.H. Coverage: Live Stats | Video

WATERBURY, Conn.  – The Post University men's basketball team heads north for the weekend with two games against Northeast-10 (NE-10) opponents. The Eagles are in Springfield, Mass. on Friday afternoon against American International before heading to Saint Anselm on for a matinee on Sunday.
 
Last Time Out: Bloomfield 76, Post 70 – Box Score | Recap
Four Eagles finished in double-figures but the Eagles fell at Bloomfield 76-70 on Wednesday night. Post was led by senior Derrick Strong (St. Louis, Mo.) with 15 points. Strong also added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Seniors Devin Willis (Seattle, Wash.) and Jerry Cummings (Queens, N.Y.) each added 11 points.
 
Post held a five-point lead at the break but Bloomfield opened the second half with nine straight points to open up a 38-35 advantage. The Eagles took a lead but the Deacons used an 11-2 run to take its largest advantage of the night at 58-49 with 9:48 left. Post quickly answered with a 9-0 run of its own to knot the game at 58-58. Willis scored five during the comeback.
 
Cummings scored from behind the arc on two straights possessions to give Post a 67-65 advantage with just over five minutes left. It would be the last time the Eagles were ahead as they made just one basket over the final 5:11 of the game.
 
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
American International comes into Friday at 4-7 overall and 2-4 in NE-10 play, but has lost four of its last five games. Against common opponents, the Yellow Jackets are 2-0 with victories against LIU-Post and Bridgeport. Bobby Harris leads the team and is seventh in the conference at 18.6 points per game. Harris leads the nation in steals at 41. AIC takes 26.2 three-pointers per game, which is eighth in the country, but only averages 67.5 points per game.
 
All-Time Series Against American International
The Eagles are 2-4 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, but have lost the last two outings, both at home. Post defeated AIC in its last visit to Springfield. Last season, the Eagles dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker.
Previous Results
12/30/12 ............... H……....L, 96-94 (2OT)
12/30/10 ............... H........... L, 76-56
1/2/10 ................... A ......... W, 70-62
11/17/07 ............... N .......... W, 68-45
12/17/05 ............... A ........... L, 63-56
1/3/05 ................... H............ L, 77-63

Scouting the Hawks
Saint Anselm is 6-3 this season and has won five of its last six games with its only loss coming by four points to No. 23 Franklin Pierce. The Hawks have four players that average over 15 points per game, led by Mike McCahey at 17.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Saint Anselm leads the NE-10 in points per game (92.1), three-point percentage (42.3), and turnovers (10.3). The Hawks are in the top-20 in the NCAA in all three categories also. Dino Mallios leads the nation in assists per game 9.1.
 
All-Time Series Against Saint Anselm
Post has never defeated the Hawks in six previous meetings between the two squads and is 0-2 in Manchester. Last season, the Eagles lost a 20-point second-half lead in a 73-68 defeat at home.
Previous Results
12/16/12 ............... H........... L, 73-68
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
 
Eagles Among CACC Leaders
Derrick Strong is sixth in the conference with 17.6 points per game and 10^th in three-point percentage at 42.4. Effrin Ellison is second in the CACC with a 54.8 shooting percentage from behind the arc. Strong and Harris are the top two in the CACC in steals per game at 2.8 and 2.2 respectively. The Eagles lead the conference in three-pointers made (9.5) and steals per game (9.4).
 
Coming Up Short
Post is off to a 2-6 start, but five of the six losses came by a combined 20 points. In two of the games, the Eagles had a last-second chance for victory. Against Bridgeport, Post had possession with 0:04 left in an 87-85 defeat. Last time out against LIU-Post, the Eagles had two chances in the final three seconds before falling 67-66. Post hit two late shots against Nyack to send the game into two overtimes, but came up short 106-101.
 
Honored For Defensive Prowess
Derrick Strong was named CACC Defensive Player of the week on Dec. 9. The senior had a career-high six steals in Post's victory over Wilmington. He is the second Eagle to receive the honor this season after AJ Harris on Nov. 11. In his Eagles debut against Southern New Hampshire on Nov. 9, Harris recorded seven steals, which was the highest single-game total since the 2006-07 season.
 
The Road Ahead
The Eagles are back in action at the 8^th Annual James Clancy Memorial Tournament hosted by Dominican in Orangeburg, N.Y. on Jan. 3-4. Post will play Southern Connecticut on Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m. and Bentley on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m.