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CACC Championship Notes

GAME CENTER:
 

CACC QUARTERFINALS Saturday, March 2 – 2 p.m. Post at Philadelphia Gallagher Center – Philadelphia, Pa. Coverage: Live Stats

 
For the second consecutive season, the Post University men's basketball team meets Philadelphia in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Quarterfinals. Last season, the Eagles fell to the Rams 74-52 in the tournament. Post is making its seventh straight CACC Tournament appearance.
 
Game Notes:
Last Time Out: USciences 70, Post 66 – Recap | Box Score
Junior Zach Krischer (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) made a career-high eight three-pointers, but the Post University men's basketball team fell to USciences in its regular-season finale on Feb. 21 at the Drubner Center. Krischer was 8-for-15 from behind the arc and scored 28 points. He also added career-high six steals, the highest output by an Eagle this season. Junior Jerry Cummins (Queens, N.Y.) recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 boards, including eight offensive rebounds.
 
The Eagles battled back from a late 56-48 deficit to tie the game at 63-63 with 2:34 remaining in the game. Junior Devin Willis (Seattle, Wash.) scored five points during the comeback. Garret Kerr took over from there, scoring the final seven points for the Devils on their way to victory.
 
USciences capped of a 9-3 run with a three-pointer by Alex McClure to tie the game at 24-24 with 4:31 remaining in the first half. Senior Jake Wilcox (Kent, Wash.) found Krischer behind the arc for his fourth three-pointer of the game to pull the Eagles within three at 32-29 at halftime. The Eagles stormed out of the break on a 10-3 run capped by a layup by Wilcox that put Post ahead 39-35 with 15:05 left. It would be the last lead Post held. Kerr scored five points for the Devils as part of 12-0 run that gave them a 47-39 lead with 11:05 remaining.
 
All-Time Series With Philadelphia:
Since 2005, the Eagles are 2-9 against the Rams. Post has dropped the last three, including a 74-52 defeat in the 2012 CACC Quarterfinals. The Eagles last defeated the Rams at the Gallagher Center on Feb. 19, 2011, 69-44.
Previous Results:
1/5/13 ................... A........... L, 77-53
2/25/12 ............A (CACC) . L, 74-52
1/7/12 ................... H........... L, 86-75
2/19/11 ................. A ......... W, 69-44
2/20/10 ................. H........... L, 70-67
1/31/09 ................. A .......... L, 58-48
1/26/08 ................. H........... L, 70-67
1/27/07 ................. H.......... W, 83-67
12/9/06 ................. A .......... L, 62-61
1/28/06 ................. A .......... L, 78-59
12/3/05 ................. H........... L, 103-62
 
Scouting the Rams:
Philadelphia earned the second seed out of the South Division after a record of 17-9 overall and 12-5 in conference play, but have struggled to a 2-2 record over its last four games. The Rams are 11-2 at home this season. Philadelphia has three players that average double-digit points, led by freshman Peter Alexis at 15.0 points per game.  Alexis leads the CAC and is 10^th in the nation with a 63.2 field goal percentage. Philadelphia boasts four All-CACC Team honorees and Andre Gibbs was named the CACC Rookie of the Year. The Rams lead the conference with a 71.9 shooting percentage from the line. They are also first with a 4.7 rebounding margin and turn the ball over just 11.2 times per game.

CACC All-Conference Selections
Senior Jake Wilcox and junior Zach Krischer both received and Honorable Mention by the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) on Feb. 28. Wilcox received the honor for the second consecutive season. The senior leads the conference and is ranked fifth nationally with 6.5 assists per game. Krischer averages 15.1 points per game to lead the Eagles. He's third in the nation in three-point field goals made per game at a mark of 3.73 and is 40^th in three-point field goal percentage. The junior is shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc this year.

Knocking Off Nationally-Ranked Teams:
After its 81-65 victory over #25 Dominican on Feb. 6, Post took down a nationally-ranked team for the first time since Dec. 19, 2010. The Eagles topped the Skyhawks 74-68 in Easton, Mass. Post went 1-1 against nationally-ranked teams during the 2009-10 campaign.
 
Game-Winning Shots:
With less than 30 seconds to play in games over the last two years, Post has hit five game-winning shots. Zach Krischer hit the final field goal of the game with 3.2 seconds remaining against Holy Family on Feb. 2, to lift Post over the Tigers 57-55. On Jan. 12, Devin Willis hit the game-winning triple against Caldwell to put the Eagles ahead 58-57. Earlier in the season, Jerry Cummings had a tip-in with 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime against LIU Post on Nov. 17. The final score was 73-72. Last season, Krischer hit three-pointers to give Post wins over Bridgeport (Dec. 19) and Queens (Jan. 2). He hit the shot against Bridgeport with 14 seconds to play, while his triple against Queens came with two seconds remaining.
 
Triple Seven:
For the fourth time this season, junior Zach Krischer hit seven or more three-pointers in a game on Feb. 21 against USciences. Krischer made a career-high eight from distance against the Devils. He also nailed seven triples on Feb. 12 at Bloomfield, Jan. 26 at Goldey-Beacom, and on Dec. 30, against AIC in a 96-94 double overtime defeat. Additionally, classmate Stephen Perry drained seven three-point shots against Caldwell on Dec. 4. He was 7-for-13 from distance in the 72-55 victory.
 
Twenty Or More:
In Post's 25 games this season, six different players have eclipsed 20 points 17 times. In Post's 81-65 victory over #25 Dominican, junior Jerry Cummings netted 30 points. Against AIC on Dec. 30, junior Zach Krischer netted 30 points, the highest total to date this season. The last 30-point performance by a Post player was by Trevon Hamlet. He netted 32 points against Bloomfield on Feb. 17, 2010. Below is a list of all the 20-point performances this season.
 
Name – Date – Opponent – Point Total
Jerry Cummings – 2/6 – at Dominican – 30
Zach Krischer – 12/30 – AIC – 30
Zach Krischer – 2/21 – USciences – 28
Jerry Cummings – 12/30 – AIC – 27
Stephen Perry – 12/4 – Caldwell – 27
Zach Krischer – 1/9 – Nyack – 26
Zach Krischer – 1/26 – at Goldey-Beacom – 25
Jerry Cummings – 11/10 – Queens – 23
Devin Willis – 11/28 – at Bridgeport – 23
Jerry Cummings – 11/20 – Concordia – 22
Stephen Perry – 11/20 – Concordia – 22
Stephen Perry – 11/17 – at LIU Post – 21
Zach Krischer – 12/19 – Felician – 21
Jerry Cummings - 12/1 - Wilmington – 20
Jerry Cummings – 11/14 – at Nyack – 20
Zach Krischer – 11/9 – at Molloy – 20
Effrin Ellison – 2/16 – at Washington Adventist – 20
 
Race To 70:
When Post scores at least 70 points it sits at 13-2 this season while it is 2-9 when held below the threshold. In their victories the Eagles average 72.5 points per game. The team has netted a season-high 94 points in its last two contests. Post defeated Felician 94-70 on Dec. 19, and fell to AIC 96-94 in double overtime on Dec. 30. The output was the highest since the Eagles netted 99 points in a double overtime loss against Concordia on Jan. 19, 2011.
 
Among The Nation's Elite:
In the NCAA Division II statistics report released on Feb. 24, Post is ranked in the top 15 in the country in a pair of categories. The Eagles sit sixth in three-point field goals made per game (10.0) and 15^th in turnover margin (4.5).
 
Powered By Individuals:
A pair of Eagles' student-athletes are ranked in the top 50 nationally in five statistical categories. Jake Wilcox leads the conference and is ranked fifth nationally with 6.5 assists per game. He is also 18^th in steals per game with an average of 2.46 and 12^th in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 2.58. Zach Krischer is third in the nation in three-point field goals made per game with a mark of 3.73 and he is 40^th in three-point field goal percentage. He is shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc this year.
 
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.
 
Career Day In First Collegiate Start:
Freshman Gediminas Juozapavicius made an impact in his first collegiate start against Bloomfield on Jan. 3, as he netted a career-high 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field. He played a season-high 26 minutes against the Deacons.
 
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.
 
Double-Doubles:
This season, Jerry Cummings has notched five double-doubles. In the Eagles' first win, a 79-78 overtime victory over Queens, Cummings turned in 23 points and 10 rebounds. Against Wilmington on Dec. 1, he netted 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Post's 80-60 win over CACC foe Wilmington. On Jan. 9, he netted 12 points and snatched 10 rebounds as the Eagles swept Nyack for the third straight season. On Jan. 12, he tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points and 13 rebounds. On Feb. 21, he scored 13 points and grabbed 11 boards.
 
Dialed In From Distance:
Over a seven-game span from Nov. 14 – Dec. 4, the Eagles shot 48.1 percent (90-for-187) from three-point range. During the stretch, Post did not shoot 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 shot greater than 50 percent from distance in three games during the stretch.
 
Suits And Sneakers:
On Saturday, Jan. 26 at Goldey-Beacom, the Post coaching staff participated in Suits and Sneakers in support of Coaches vs. Cancer. It is a nationwide event when coaches across the country unite for a common cause – saving lives from cancer. Coaches and their staff are encouraged to wear sneakers with their game attire while coaching games to raise awareness and promote the American Cancer Society.
 
Coming To A TV Near You:
Post's 94-70 win over Felician on Dec. 19, was taped by CPTV Sports and will continue to air on the network throughout the winter months. Check out http://www.cptvsports.org for channel listings and a broadcast schedule.
 
Receiving Votes:
For three straight weeks, Post received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25. On Dec. 11, the Eagles garnered four votes and were 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

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.