Box Score
CALIFORNIA - East Stroudsburg University extended its longest winning streak in 35 years to 10 games and completed the season sweep of the PSAC West for the first time in school history with an 83-71 victory on Saturday afternoon at California.
The Warriors shot 65 percent from the field for the game and 76 percent (19-of-25) in a 50-point second half to improve to 10-3 this year and become just the seventh team in school history to win 10 straight games in a season.
Cal came into the game with a 9-2 record and was the preseason favorite to win the PSAC West. ESU had never beaten the Vulcans in the first 11 meetings between the two schools, including a 94-83 loss last season. The Warriors are 13-1 vs. the PSAC West over the last two years.
Senior forward Channon Easley scored a career-high 22 points, 16 in the second half, and Josh Wentz (6-of-7, 14 points) and Andy Heimbach (6-of-8, 20 points) combined to shoot 12-of-15 from the field and 5-of-7 from the three-point line. Aaron Pinckney and Dawud Lyons both scored eight points off the bench for ESU.
Easley made eight of his 10 shots in the second half and scored on four of ESU's first six possessions after halftime. The Warriors made seven of their first eight shots out of the locker room to stretch a three-point lead to 11 points (47-36), and back-to-back three's by Heimbach capped a 22-9 run to give ESU a 55-39 lead 6:20 into the half.
Both teams used big runs as the ESU lead fluctuated between four and 15 points for the rest of the contest. Cal scored the next 10 points to pull within six with 11:14 to play before the Easley stopped the run with a dunk off an assist from Aaron Pinckney.
The dunk was the first of eight straight makes for the Warriors, who stretched the lead back to 15 (73-58) with just over six minutes to go. Junior guard Pat Fleury assisted on four of the baskets, including three's by Wentz and Heimbach, and had nine assists in a game for the third time this season.
The Vulcans had one last push in them, rattling off 11 straight points to cut the margin to 73-69. Once again, the Warriors responded, as Heimbach was 4-of-4 from the line down the stretch and Easley had a sequence where he blocked a shot and rebounded his own miss and scored at the other end to put ESU ahead 77-69 with 3:00 left. Wentz sealed the victory with a jumper that pushed the lead to 12 points with 1:20 remaining.
Cal had four players in double figures, led by reserve Theron Coloa, who scored 16 points in 23 minutes. The Vulcans shot just 40 percent from the field and were 2-of-12 from long distance.
The Warriors will go for their 11th straight win when they open PSAC East play on Wednesday night against Cheyney. A victory would give ESU its longest streak since winning 12 straight during the 1942-43 season.
