ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd men's basketball team looks to break its first losing streak of the season and get a little payback in the process when the Tritons host Embry-Riddle tonight at 7:30 PM.
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ABOUT THE EAGLES- A longtime NAIA Division II powerhouse, Embry-Riddle has proven competitive as the program transitions to NCAA Division II. The Eagles scored a signature win at the expense of Eckerd in January, ending EC's 16-game winning streak. However, ERAU dropped its next three following that win and most recently eeked out a 59-58 win over Tampa last Wednesday.
- The Eagles boast multiple scoring threats with six players averaging in double figures entering tonight's game. Ognjen Miljkovic, a 6-foot-7 transfer from NCAA D-I Eastern Washington, leads the way with 17.5 points per game. Dalton Barnes (15.1 ppg) and Reed Ridder (13.7 ppg) are also dangerous scorers and players like Dillon Graham (10.6 ppg), Daniel Kiesling (10.5 ppg) and Joseph Gonzalez (10.5 ppg) can also score when needed. Five of those six players have posted 20-point games this season.
- Embry-Riddle likes to utilize the 3-point shot, entering the night averaging 10.1 3's per game while shooting 38.3 percent from behind the arc. Seven players have made 10 or more 3-pointers this season, giving the team multiple long-range threats.
- The Eagles are also strong on the glass with a plus-5.7 rebounding margin.
ABOUT THE TRITONS- Eckerd is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time all season, losing on Wednesday to Rollins in overtime before suffering another setback on Saturday at Tampa. The loss to the Spartans dropped EC a half-game behind Barry in the SSC standings. After winning 16 straight games, Eckerd has lost four of its last six.
- The Tritons look to recover from their worst shooting performance of the season, making only 30.9 percent from the field against Tampa resulting in a season-low 52 points.
- Eckerd hopes to see senior
Jerrick Stevenson get back on track after a recent slump. After a 25-point explosion against Barry on January 16, Stevenson has only scored in double-figures once. He is looking to continue climbing the ranks of Eckerd's all-time top scorers, entering tonight needing two points to move into fifth place on the career scoring list.
- Despite the recent struggles, the Tritons still remain one of the best defensive teams in the conference. Eckerd leads the SSC in scoring defense by a wide margin, allowing only 69.1 points per game while holding opponents to 41.0 percent shooting from the floor.
LOOKING BACKThough an unlikely candidate to end what was then a 16-game winning streak for Eckerd, the Eagles did just that on January 20 in Daytona Beach edging the Tritons in a low-scoring game, 68-65. Eckerd twice had the ball and a chance to tie with under 30 seconds left but missed the front ends of one-and-ones both times.Â
Drushaun McLaurn had 24 points to lead all scorers.
