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Related:
Pocono Record - PSAC champion ESU shows its Warrior Pride
Morning Call - ESU men pressure their way to 2nd PSAC title in 3 years

Watch:
NCAA DII Tournament selection show (Sunday, 10:30 p.m., NCAA.com)
Postgame press conference (Wilson, Grant, Tobin, Moore, Nwaniemeka)
Z. Runkle steal and dunk
MVP J. Nwaniemeka interviewed on John Mendola Show


EAST STROUDSBURG – Sophomore guard Jamal Nwaniemeka scored 27 points to earn MVP honors as No. 2-ranked East Stroudsburg University completed a three-game run to its second PSAC championship in three years with a 92-80 win over West Chester on Sunday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.

ESU (28-1) earns the PSAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament and will play in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) after advancing just once (1990) previously in school history.

Nwaniemeka had a career-high 27 points, junior All-America guard Whis Grant scored 19 points and freshman forward Rasheed Moore had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who weathered a West Chester run to open the second half before building an 18-point lead (73-55) with less than eight minutes left.

The Warriors improve to 3-0 in PSAC championship games, winning in 1990 (108-102 in 2OT vs. Millersville), 2012 (90-85 at West Chester) and 2014.

ESU beat Millersville, 78-58, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night, followed by a 63-55 comeback win over Mercyhurst in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Warriors, the Division II leader in turnover margin (+7.4), had a +12 advantage against West Chester (26-14) and +23 advantage for the weekend, holding a 20-9 edge against Mercyhurst.

The NCAA Division II Tournament field of 64 teams, including the eight-team Atlantic Regional, will be announced on Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. on ncaa.com.

Nwaniemeka averaged 19.3 points in ESU's three games, including team-highs with 21 points in the quarterfinal win vs. Millersville, and 27 against West Chester. He shot 19-for-38 from the field, 8-for-17 from the three-point line, 12-for-13 at the foul line and had 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks and 6 steals - including 3 blocks and 4 steals in the championship game.

Grant averaged 17.0 points and junior guard Matt Tobin (9 points, 6 assists vs. West Chester) averaged 11.0 points and 8.7 assists, including 11 points and 14 assists against Millersville in the quarterfinals.

The Warriors hit West Chester with a 20-6 run midway through the first half to lead 29-17, but the Golden Rams (20-9) scored the last nine points of the half to pull within 38-35 at intermission.

West Chester scored the first four points of the second half to take a 39-38 lead, its first since the early stages, before Moore gave ESU the lead right back with a layup assisted by Tobin.

ESU scored eight straight in a two-minute span, including three-point plays by Grant and Nwaniemeka, for a 52-43 lead with just over 16 minutes left.

West Chester wouldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the way, and the Warriors stretched it to 18 (73-55) on another three-point play by Nwaniemeka with less than eight minutes to play.

ESU was 38-for-43 (88.4 percent) at the foul line, its highest percentage of the year, and shot 22-for-25 at the line in the second half.

Moore (11-for-12), Grant (10-for-12) and Nwaniemeka (9-for-10) all knocked down big free throws, and Tobin made all four of his attempts.

Troy Hockaday scored 24 points and backup guard R.J. Griffin had 14 points and eight rebounds to lead West Chester, which rallied past Gannon for a 77-76 (OT) win in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon.









GAME NOTES
* ESU is 3-0 in PSAC championship games, winning in 1990 (108-102 2OT vs. Millersville at Slippery Rock), 2012 (90-85 at West Chester) and Sunday afternoon.
* ESU was in the PSAC Final Four for the 5th straight year and the 8th time in program history.
* ESU is the 3rd PSAC school to make 5 consecutive Final 4's in the last 30 years, along with California (6 straight - 1992-97) and Bloomsburg (5 - 1998-02).

* West Chester (20-9) was in the PSAC Final Four for the third straight year, played in the championship game for the fourth time since 1998 (also 2001 and 2012).
* The Golden Rams have won one PSAC title in program history (1959).

* ESU extends a school record with its 28th win. The previous record of 24 wins was set in 2009-10, going 24-6.

* ESU won both regular season meetings with West Chester – 107-94 at Hollinger Fieldhouse on January 25, closing with a 22-3 run with 5:38 left, and 74-71 at ESU's Koehler Fieldhouse in the regular season finale on February 26.


* ESU's No. 2 ranking is the highest in school history, and the highest for a PSAC school since IUP was No. 2 on March 9, 2010.

* ESU hosted the PSAC Final 4 for the 2nd time in school history. The Warriors also hosted in 2010, falling to IUP (67-63) in the semifinals.

* ESU improves to 16-0 at Koehler Fieldhouse this year, and has won 18 straight home games dating to last season.

* 22 of ESU's 28 victories have come by double figures. The Warriors were 4th in DII in scoring margin (+18.3) entering the week.

* The Warriors have won 70 games in the last 3 years (70-20), the most in school history. The 1970-71 through 72-73 teams were 63-12.

* The Warriors are 110-38 since the start of the 2009-10 season.

* ESU won its 2nd straight PSAC East regular season title this winter, and the 4th in school history (1992, 2010, 2013, 2014).
 
* Jeff Wilson, 211-128 in his 12th season, ranks 2nd at ESU in career victories.
* Ken Sisson holds the career record with 215, going 215-245 in 19 years (1963-78, 79-83).

* ESU is ranked in the top 10 in DII for the 10th straight week, and the 12th week in program history.
* ESU is ranked in the top 25 for the 14th straight week, after being ranked for 13 weeks in program history previously.

* ESU has won 8 straight since its only loss of the season, 82-80 at Lock Haven on February 6.
* ESU was the final undefeated team in DII this season at 20-0.
* ESU's 20-game win streak to start the season was the PSAC's longest since 1994-95, when IUP opened 21-0.
* The last PSAC team to go undefeated in the regular season was Cheyney (24-0) in 1965-66.

* ESU led DII in turnover margin (+7.4) entering the weekend. The Warriors won the turnover margin, 26-14, on Sunday and 46-23 for the weekend.
* When holding a turnover margin of +5 or greater, ESU is: 20-1 this year, 35-3 the last 2 years, and 55-11 since the start of the 2009-10 season.

* Grant broke Andy Heimbach's single-season record for 3-pointers made with 77, surpassing Heimbach's total of 76 in 2009-10.
* Grant ranks 2nd in career 3-pointers with 199, behind Heimbach's record 236 (2006-10).

* Grant moves into 6th at ESU with 1,416 career points during his junior season, surpassing Charley German, who scored 1,412 points from 1954-58.

* Tobin is 5th on ESU's list of assists for a season (182), and tied for 4th in his career (345).
* He is tied for 7th with 63 steals this season, surpassing the total of his brother Mike (2010-11).

* Grant and Tobin were both named to the All-PSAC East 1st team on Thursday. Rasheed Moore was a 2nd team selection and the Freshman of the Year.
* Moore was one rebound from his 4th double-double of the year, and one point from his 4th 20-point game.