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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Senior forward Zechariah Runkle (18 points, 10 rebounds) and freshman forward Rasheed Moore (10 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles for East Stroudsburg University as Rider survived the Warriors' upset bid with a 79-76 win in a men's basketball exhibition game on Saturday.

Division II ESU, coming off a 22-7 season and its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in four years, led Division I Rider, 75-72, with four minutes left before the Broncs scored the final seven of the final eight points.

Rider didn't take its first lead until there was 10:40 left in the second half, and led for just over five minutes in the contest.

ESU, which received votes in the NABC DII preseason poll released Friday, opens the 2013-14 season next Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas.

Kahlil Thomas scored 23 points to lead four Rider plays in double figures. Jimmie Thomas scored 14, including the go-ahead bucket with 3:20 left, and Anthony Myles and Shawn Valentine had 12 points each.

ESU outrebounded Rider, 43-33, and grabbed 18 offensive boards – including six by Runkle and five by Moore, who started in the frontcourt in his ESU debut.

Junior guard Matt Tobin scored 16 points, junior All-America guard Whis Grant added 15 and sophomore guard Jamal Nwaniemeka had seven for the Warriors. Nwaniemeka is a transfer from Rider after playing in 13 games a year ago.

Redshirt junior guard Will Brown had seven points and six rebounds off the bench in his return to the floor after missing the last two seasons due to injury.

The Warriors were 13-for-34 from the three-point line with Runkle (4-for-5) and Tobin (4-for-6) knocking down four each.

ESU led 45-38 at halftime, hitting 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) from behind the arc.

The Warriors led from start to finish in the first half. It was 7-0 early on a putback by Moore, a three by Runkle and a jumper by Nwaniemeka, and they maintained the lead throughout the period.

The largest advantage, 26-17, came with 7:31 left in the first half. Brown and Nwaniemeka both knocked down three's in the final minute for the seven-point halftime lead.

Rider took its first lead (58-57) with 10:40 left on a layup by Thomas before ESU took the advantage right back on another three-pointer by Runkle. The Warriors rebuilt their lead, going ahead 74-70 with 4:38 left, before Rider's final surge.