GAME CENTER
Saturday, Jan. 10 – 3 p.m.
Post (2-11, 2-4 CACC) at USciences (9-4, 5-1 CACC)
Morgan Arena – Philadelphia, Pa.
Coverage: Live Stats | Video |
WATERBURY, Conn. – The Post University men's basketball team looks to halt its six-game losing streak on Saturday as it heads to Philadelphia to play USciences at 3 p.m. The Eagles have won five of the last six times the teams have met. The Devils boast reigning Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Year, Garrett Kerr.
Last Time Out: Caldwell 86, Post 78 – Box Score | Recap
Senior
Devin Willis (Seattle, Wash.) led a trio of Eagles in double-figures with 16 points but the Eagles fell at home to Caldwell on Wednesday.
Senior
Jerry Cummings (Queens, N.Y.) scored on a layup off a dish from classmate
Effrin Ellison (Waterbury, Conn.) to cap a 9-0 Post run that gave the Eagles an 18-7 lead, its largest of the game, at the 11:28 mark of the first half. Post maintained a healthy advantage through most of the period.
The Cougars cut the deficit to 29-23 off an alley-oop from Kevin Walker to Terik Bridgeman, but Post answer in its next possession as Cummings hit from distance to build the lead back to nine. Caldwell closed out the half on a 12-2 run led by five points from Walker to head into the break with a 35-34 lead.
Walker opened the second half with a three-pointer to give the Cougars a four-point lead, its largest to that point. Willis scored six points as the Eagles staged a 16-4 run to build a 50-42 advantage with 15:11 remaining.
Caldwell jumped back in front again at 54-50 with 10:46 left with 12 straight points. With the game tied at 58-58, senior
Roscoe Wyche (Anchorage, Alaska) scored on a put-back to give the Eagles its last lead of the game. The Cougars led by as many as 11 points before the final buzzer.
Scouting the Devils
USciences enters the weekend at 9-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play and has won five of its last six games. The Devils are led by reigning CACC Player of the Year, Garrett Kerr. Kerr has been named Player of the Week four times this season and is sixth in the nation in points (25.2) and rebounds (12.8) per game. He has recorded nine double-doubles this season. USciences is 14
th in the NCAA in scoring defence and only gives up 63.8 per contest.
All-Time Series Against USciences
The Eagles have defeated the Devils the five of the last six times out. Last season, Post fell to USciences 70-66, Cummings led the team with 11 points. The Eagles have not lost in Philadelphia since 2007.
Previous Results
2/21/13 ................. H.......... L, 70-66
12/10/11 ............... A ......... W, 63-55
2/26/11 ................. H.......... W, 50-47
2/27/10 ................. A ......... W, 77-74
12/13/08 ............... A ......... W, 55-48
12/8/07 ................. H.......... W, 55-48
3/2/07 ............. N (CACC) ..... L, 62-55
Juggling The Lineup
Post has used seven different starting lineups this season and a total of 12 players have made at least one start.
Derrick Strong has started 12 of the Eagles' 13 games, only coming off the bench in the opener against Southern New Hampshire.
Travis Carbajal and
Devin Willis are the only other players to start more than six times.
Eagles Among The Leaders
Effrin Ellison leads the CACC and is 12
th in the nation with a 54.8 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
Derrick Strong is second in the conference at 2.1 steals per game, which is good for 43
rd in the nation. The Eagles are in the top-50 in the country in three-pointers made per game (8.5).
Coming Up Short
Out of Post's losses this season, six have come by just 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
Post is back at home on Tuesday, Jan. 14 against Concordia at 8 p.m. The Eagles defeated the Clippers 81-70 on Nov. 13.
