Box ScoreLOCK HAVEN - No. 4-ranked East Stroudsburg University finished the first half on a 13-2 run, then started the second half with a 10-2 spurt as the impetus for a 92-69 win at Lock Haven in PSAC East men's basketball on Wednesday night at Thomas Fieldhouse.
Senior guard
Whis Grant scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half for the Warriors (2-1, 1-0), who won their division opener at the site of their only regular season loss last winter.
Head coach
Jeff Wilson, last year's national coach of the year by two organizations, won his 215th career game to tie ESU's record held by Ken Sisson (19 seasons from 1963-78, 79-83). Wilson is in his 13th season and improves to 215-130, including 114-40 with four NCAA Tournament appearances and two PSAC championships in the last five years.
Redshirt senior guard
Will Brown and junior guard
Jamal Nwaniemeka scored 14 each, sophomore forward
Steve Harris had a career-high 12 points and senior guard
Matt Tobin added 11 points and five assists for ESU, which rebounded from a 76-71 loss to Bowie State on Saturday.
ESU led 42-35 at halftime after its big spurt to close the period, then Grant scored 11 of ESU's first 13 points in the second half to open a double-figure lead that the Warriors maintained over the final 17 minutes.
The Warriors, the PSAC East preseason favorite, had five runs of at least 7-0 to sprint past the preseason No. 3 Bald Eagles (0-3, 0-1).
LHU closed to 64-51 on a three-pointer by Wali Hepburn (29 points) with just over 10 minutes left, but Grant answered with a three at the other end, and Brown finished a 9-2 run with a triple for a 74-53 lead with 8:30 remaining. Lock Haven never got closer than 15 the rest of the way.
The Warriors hit LHU with an 8-0 run in the first four minutes to lead 11-4 at the first media timeout, but the Bald Eagles answered with their own 8-0 stretch. The game was played within five points from the 15-minute mark until late in the first half, when Brown hit a three-pointer to break a 33-33 tie and propel the Warriors to their seven-point halftime lead.
ESU had an 18-12 advantage in turnovers, improving to 37-3 since the start of the 2012-13 season when holding a margin of five or more.
Sophomore forward
Rasheed Moore (eight points, 12 rebounds) helped ESU to a 41-38 advantage on the glass. Nwaniemeka and senior forward
Lamont Tillery (six points) added five rebounds each.
Freshman guard
Jakwan Jones had five points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals in nine minutes of action backing up Tobin at point guard.
Hepburn scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half and added six rebounds, four assists and six turnovers. Bootsie Walker had 15 points and eight rebounds and Nate Walters had 12 points.
ESU shot 49.2 percent (32-for-65) from the field, while Lock Haven shot 40.0 percent (26-for-65) and just 1-for-9 from the three-point line.
The Warriors host Millersville (1-2, 0-1) in their home opener on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Koehler Fieldhouse. The Marauders fell at West Chester, 78-49, in their division opener on Wednesday night.
GAME NOTES* ESU is 48-7 in regular season games since the start of the 2012-13 season, with 32 wins by 10+ points.
* ESU improves to 10-3 all-time when playing with a top-5 national ranking.
* ESU is 18-4 with a top-10 ranking, and 42-12 with a top-25 ranking.
