Hincapie thru the legs
William Ferguson
Senior point guard Kevin Hincapie

#22 STU AT #1 EMBRY-RIDDLE IN NAIA GAME OF WEEK

1/17/2014 1:35:00 PM

By Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Communications and Sports Information

NAIA Game of the Week

No. 1 No. 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) (12-4, 5-1 TSC) at No. 1 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (17-1, 6-0 TSC)

Saturday, Jan. 18 | 7 p.m. EST | ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.

  • A battle between the top two programs in The Sun Conference standings will face off on Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla., as top-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.) hosts No. 22 St. Thomas (Fla.). The Eagles, who hold the best win percentage in Division II (.944), lead the league with a 6-0 mark. St. Thomas is one-game back at 5-1.
  • Embry-Riddle (17-1) puts a seven-game win streak on the line, with the only loss of the year coming back on Dec. 14 against Division I member Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), 91-85.
  • Standing 12-4 on the year, the Bobcats have gone 5-1 in their last six contests. • Last time out on Wednesday, Embry-Riddle remained the only one-loss team in Division II with a 77-69 victory over Southeastern (Fla.) in Daytona Beach, Fla. DeForest Carter finished with 19 points and 10 assists for his third double-double of the year.
  • Despite trailing 48-39 at the half, St. Thomas roared back to defeat Warner (Fla.), 97-89, on Wednesday. Senior guards Floyd Battle and Kevin Hincapie each scored 23 points.
  • In the last 10 meetings in the series, St. Thomas owns a slight 6-4 edge. The Bobcats have won three out of the last four, but Embry-Riddle was the victor in the last match-up on Feb. 9, 2013 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
  • The average margin of victory in the last four meetings has been 4.5 points. Last year, Embry-Riddle won 72-63 behind a distinct free-throw advantage, as the Eagles outscored the Bobcats 29-6 at the charity stripe.
  • In the last five home games in the series, Embry-Riddle has dropped four of those contests.
  • The game could be a test of the No. 1-ranked defense against a team that shoots over 48 percent from the floor. Embry-Riddle enters Saturday with the top-ranked field goal percentage defense (.370) and fifth in scoring defense (62.5). St. Thomas ranks 23rd in Division II in shooting accuracy.
  • Embry-Riddle's Carter has his name on the top of most statistical categories for the Eagles, scoring a team-best 16.4 points and maintaining averages of 6.8 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks. He ranks third in the NAIA with his assists average. Cesar Pastrana is first on the club in rebounding (7.3).
  • Hincapie leads the Bobcats in steals (3.1) and is second in scoring (15.2). Battle has poured in 10-or-more points in 10 of his 11 games, including a season-best 23 (tie) on Wednesday. He is first on the team in scoring with a 16.1 points average. Two other Bobcats average in double-figure scoring.
  • Embry-Riddle is a perfect 11-0 this year at the ICI Center. In those games, the team has won by an average of over 24 points. Overall, the Eagles are owners of a 13-game home win streak dating back to February of 2013.
  • The Bobcats are 5-1 when playing in true road contests. The lone loss was at Morningside (Iowa), 86-78 on Dec. 18.
  • The rematch is scheduled to take place on Feb. 12 in Miami Gardens.
  • Note – A special thanks to the Sports Information Departments at Embry-Riddle and St. Thomas for providing portions of the information above.
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