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GAME CENTER

Tuesday, Feb. 10 – 7:30 p.m. Post vs. Caldwell Drubner Center – Waterbury, Conn. Coverage: Live Stats

 
WATERBURY, Conn. – The Post University men's basketball team welcomes Caldwell to the Drubner Center on Tuesday night for an important Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) matchup. The Eagles are just ahead of the Cougars in the fourth place in the North Division with just four games remaining.
 
Last Time Out: Philadelphia 80, Post 60 – Recap | Box Score
The Eagles quieted the home crowd early by storming in front 21-11 with 9:53 remaining in the first half. Freshman Malik Howze (Detroit, Mich.) caught fire early as he hit his first three shots. With the Rams ahead 7-4, Howze hit from distance to tie the score. Minutes later he nailed another three and scored once again as part of an 8-0 run by Post that gave it its largest lead of the game.
 
Philadelphia quickly got back into the game with an 11-0 run capped by a three-point play by Peter Alexis to tie the score with 5:10 left in the first. Freshman Jah'sheme Ringgold hit from distance on Post's next possession. He found junior Brandt Voiles (Byron, Ill.) for a layup later the floor to put the Eagles in front by three.
 
After Philadelphia jumped ahead by 11 early in the second half, Voiles hit a three off a dish from senior Nardie Bogues (Baltimore, Md.) to cut the deficit to 42-34 with 14:41 left. The Rams took control from there with a 17-0 run to put the game away.
 
Scouting the Cougars
Caldwell is 11-11 overall and 7-7 in CACC play entering Tuesday's matchup. The Cougars have split their last four games and lost 85-76 at home to Holy Family last time out. Michael Balkovic leads the team at 15.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, which is good for fifth in the NCAA. The Cougars have four players that shoot over 80.0 percent from the line and are fourth in the nation with a 77.1 free-throw shooting percentage. Overall Caldwell is one of the best shooting teams in the league at 45.7 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from distance, both of which are in the top-four. The Cougars average 74.0 points per game.
 
All-Time Record vs. Caldwell
The Eagles have fared well against the Cougars in the series, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. Their only loss during the stretch came at home last year. Earlier this season three Eagles finished in double-figures as Post defeated Caldwell 67-54 on the road.
Results
1/7/15 ....................A.......... W, 67-54
2/11/14 ..................A.......... W, 82-80
1/8/14.....................H............L, 86-78
1/12/13 ..................A.......... W, 60-57
12/4/12 ..................H.......... W, 72-55
 
Tough D From Distance
Post is fourth the CACC and 16^th in the nation in opponents' three-point percentage. The Eagles allow their opponents to shoot at just a 31.0 percent clip. Post has held its rivals to under 25.0 percent shooting in seven games this year. Their season-best performance came in the opener against Roberts Wesleyan as the Redhawks were just 7.7 percent (1-13) from distance.
 
Limiting Giveaways
The Eagles have had less or the same amount of turnovers than their opponents in all but five games this season. In seven games this year, Post has committed 10 or less turnovers, with a season-low of seven coming in the opener against Roberts Wesleyan.
 
Eagles Piling Up Weekly Honors
Freshman Matt Mareno (San Francisco, Calif.) has been named CACC Rookie of the Week on four times this season and ECAC Rookie of the Week three times. He has also earned Defensive Player of the Week honors once. Mareno leads the team at 12.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He has also posted four double-doubles this year. Freshman Jah'sheme Ringgold (Easton, Md.) was named CACC and ECAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 26.
 
Starting From Scratch
The Eagles return just one player from a year ago in sophomore Rokas Lapsys (Vilnius, Lithuania). Lapsys who appeared in just three games, averaging 9.3 minutes per outing. This year's roster features 13 players including six freshman, two sophomores, four juniors, and one senior. The players come from all over the globe with two from England in freshmen Kyle Squire (Cheshire, England) and Joseph Lockwood (London, England) and one from Australia, junior Shannon McCready (Melbourne, Australia) and Lithuania.
 
Preseason Poll
Post was picked to finish fifth in the CACC North Division this year. The Eagles received 41 votes. Bloomfield and Philadelphia were selected to finish first in the North and South Divisions, respectively.
 
On the Horizon
Post visits Chestnut Hill on Saturday, Feb. 14. Game time is set for 3 p.m.