GAME CENTER
Saturday, Dec. 7 – 3 p.m.
Post (1-5, 1-2 CACC) at Wilmington (3-6, 1-1 CACC)
WU Sports Complex – New Castle, Del.
Coverage: Live Stats | Video |
WATERBURY, Conn. – The Post University men's basketball team begins a six-game road trip on Saturday afternoon as it visits Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South Division rival Wilmington. The Eagles have dropped their last four games, but just by a combined 14 points. Post has won three straight against the Wildcats.
Last Time Out: LIU-Post 67, Post 66 – Box Score | Recap
Post took a 32-28 lead into the break, but a 12-5 run by the Pioneers to begin the second half tied the game at 37-37. LIU-Post led throughout most of the period and had its largest lead at 60-54 with 6:11 remaining in the game. Junior
Mike Manning (Philadelphia, Pa.) started a 7-0 Post run with a put-back dunk off a Willis miss that gave the Eagles a 61-60 lead with 4:34 left.
Derrick Strong made a layup while getting fouled and hit the free throw and
Jerry Cummings hit a shot off a dish from Strong during the stretch.
Neither team would lead by more than two the remainder of the way.
Devin Willis made a jumper from with 1:30 left to give the Eagles a 66-65 lead. LIU-Post missed two shots its next time down the court and Willis grabbed the rebound for Post. The Eagles called a timeout with 0:38 remaining. Post missed a shot on its next possession and the Pioneers grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up the court. Vaughn Allen made a layup with 0:12 left to put LIU-Post in front 67-66. Strong missed a layup with 1.1 left. After a missed free-throw by the Pioneers, Strong's full-court heave was off target.
Scouting the Wildcats
Wilmington enters the weekend at a record of 3-6 overall and 1-1 in CACC play, but has lost its last two. The Wildcats last win came against Chestnut Hill, 63-62 on Nov. 26. Wilmington is third in the conference in steals per game (7.7) and blocks per game (4.3). Herbert Dennis leads the team with 16.7 points per game. Ta'Vaune Griffin is the Wildcats' top rebounder at 7.1 per contest. He is also 5
th in the nation with 23 blocks this season.
All-Time Series Against Wilmington
Post is 10-4 all-time against the Wildcats but has won the last three meetings between the two teams. The Eagles are 5-2 on the road at Wilmington.
Previous Results
12/1/12 ................. H.......... W, 80-60
2/18/12 ................. A .......... W, 75-67
1/8/11 ................... H........... W, 80-55
1/9/10 ................... A ........... L, 78-70
1/17/09 ................. A .......... W, 86-66
2/16/08 ................. H........... L, 83-80
2/17/07 ................. H........... W, 100-88
1/11/07 ................. A .......... W, 63-62
2/18/06 ................. H........... L, 88-85
1/14/06 ................. A ...W, 94-89 (OT)
Eagles Among CACC Leaders
Derrick Strong is eighth in the conference with 17.0 points per game and 10
th in three-point percentage at 46.4.
Effrin Ellison leads the CACC and is 12
th in the nation with a 59.3 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
AJ Harris is seventh in the conference with a 54.5 percentage from the field. Harris is also fifth in the conference and 25
th in the nation with 16 steals.
Coming Up Short
Post is off to a 1-5 start, but four of the five losses came by a combined 14 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
Junior
AJ Harris (Inglewood, Calif.) was named CACC Defensive Player of the Week 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. He was the first Post player to earn a weekly award since
Stephen Perry Jr. (Westhampton, N.J.) was named Player of the Week on Nov. 27, 2012.
The Road Ahead
The Eagles continue their road trip with a visit to Bloomfield on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m.
