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GAME CENTER

Saturday, Feb. 15 – 3 p.m. Post (9-13, 9-6 CACC) vs. Chestnut Hill (7-15, 5-10 CACC) Drubner Center – Waterbury, Conn. Coverage: Live Stats | Live Video

WATERBURY, Conn.  – The Post University men's basketball team begins the final stretch of the season on Saturday afternoon as it host Chestnut Hill. The Eagles have won seven of their last nine games and are currently tied for third in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division with four games remaining.
 
Last Time Out: Post 82, Caldwell 80 – Box Score | Recap
The Eagles picked up a big CACC North victory on Tuesday night over Caldwell. The win moved Post into a tie with the Cougars for third place in the division. Senior Effrin Ellison (Waterbury, Conn.) was 4-for-6 from distance on his way to a team-high 16 points off the bench. Senior Derrick Strong (St. Louis, Mo.) scored 15 points and had two steals.
 
Ahead 81-78 with 0:20 remaining, Strong fouled Salvatore Vitello to send him to the line for two shots. After making the first, Vitello missed the second and Michael Balkovic grabbed the offensive board. Senior Josh Tatum (Greenville, N.C.) swatted away Balkovic's layup attempt, one of his five blocks on the night, and classmate Devin Willis (Seattle, Wash.) came up with the rebound.
 
Out of a timeout with 0:07 left, the Eagles nearly threw the ball away, but Willis was able to gain possession and draw a foul. He made one of two from the line to push the Post advantage to 82-79. The Eagles sent Vitello back to the line on the Cougars' next possession with 0:03 remaining.
 
Vitello made the first to cut the lead to two. He missed the second purposely and Billy McDonald came down with the rebound. McDonald missed a jumper in the paint as time expired.
 
Scouting the Griffins
Chestnut Hill comes into the weekend at a record of 7-15 overall and 5-10 in conference play, but has dropped five of its last six. Last time out, the Griffins nearly upset Philadelphia, but the Rams hit a shot at the buzzer for the victory. Taylor Trevisan leads team at 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Chestnut Hill allows 70.2 points per game and scores just 65.5. The Griffins are fourth in the CACC at 7.0 steals per game.
 
All-Time Series Against Chestnut Hill
Post is 5-1 against the Griffins since 2008 and has never lost at home. Last season, Chestnut Hill defeated the Eagles 70-66 in overtime.
Previous Results
12/8/12 ................. A ….... L, 70-66 (OT)
2/11/12 ................. H......... W, 79-75
1/22/11 ................. A ........ W, 64-59
1/23/10 ................. H......... W, 74-70
2/14/09 ................. H......... W, 108-97
1/19/08 ................. H......... W, 88-77
 
Juggling The Lineup
Post has used eight different starting lineups this season and a total of 12 players have made at least one start. Derrick Strong has started 21 of the Eagles' 22 games, only coming off the bench in the opener against Southern New Hampshire.
 
Eagles Among The Leaders
Post boasts three of the top five three-point shooters in the conference. Effrin Ellison (46.9%) and Stephen Perry Jr. (43.8) are second and third, respectively. Derrick Strong is fifth a 41.7%. Strong is also second in the CACC at 2.5 steals per game, which is good for 8^th in the nation. Post leads the league with a 38.4 shooting percentage from distance and is second at 7.5 steals per game. The Eagles are 39^th in the country with 8.6 threes made per contest.
 
Hitting The Glass
After struggling on the glass early in the season, the Eagles have picked up the pace as of late. Post has outrebounded its opponents in four of the last six games. The Eagles grabbed a season-high 48 boards, 13 more than their opponent, in a 79-50 victory over Concordia. Post also outrebounded Felician, Holy Family, and Nyack. The Eagles are 4-1 in games in which they grab more boards than their opponents this season.
 
Winning Down The Stretch
Post has won seven of its last nine games heading into Saturday, with four of the victories coming by double digits. During the streak, the Eagles' average margin of victory has been 13.8 points. The largest margin came against Concordia on Jan. 14 in a 79-50 win at home.
 
Playoff Positioning
The Eagles are in a great position to make their ninth-straight CACC Tournament appearance. Post is currently tied with Caldwell at 9-6 in conference play with four games remaining. Nyack is in fifth at 7-9 with three games left. The Eagles and Warriors have split their season series. Post can clinch a spot in the tournament with two victories or a win over Bloomfield on Tuesday and a loss by Nyack.
 
Honored For Defensive Prowess
Derrick Strong was named CACC Defensive Player of the week on Dec. 9 and Jan. 20. Strong tied a career-high with six steals in Post's 79-50 victory over Concordia on Jan. 14. The senior also had six steals in Post's victory over Wilmington on Dec. 7. 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 return to Drubner on Tuesday to host Bloomfield in their final home game of the season. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.