Box Score
EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University trailed Chestnut Hill 56-50 with less than eight minutes to go, but the Warriors used a strong defensive effort and record-setting foul shooting to overcome the deficit and post a 70-66 win in the 44th Annual ESU Basketball Tournament presented by the Lehigh Valley International Airport and North Pole Express on Saturday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.
Senior forward Chris Bach was named the MVP of the men's classic after recording 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots against Chestnut Hill. He was one of three Warriors in double figures in a 72-42 win over Queens (N.Y.) on Friday and is joined on the All-Tournament team by senior forward Aaron Pinckney.
ESU set the tournament's all-time record for made free throws in a game, going 35-for-43 (81.4 percent) from the line. Four players made at least six free throws - senior guard Pat Fleury (10-of-12, 10 points); sophomore guard Mike DeMarco (7-of-8, 14 points); junior guard Andy Heimbach (6-of-6, 8 points) and Bach (6-of-6).
The previous record was 33 set by two ESU teams - 1992 vs. UDC and 1970 vs. Loyola.
Two Chestnut Hill players are among the rest of the All-Tournament team. Ryan Cook scored 22 points and was 7-of-8 from the three-point line against ESU, and Kevin Whaley scored 24 points in a 66-62 loss to Shippensburg on Friday afternoon. The remaining members are Mike Liander of Queens and Derrick Graff of Shippensburg.
The Warriors made 12 of their last 14 free throws over the final five minutes. Fleury tied the game at 56-all with a pair with 4:49 left, and ESU took the lead on a layup by Bach less than a minute later.
Sophomore forward Mike Tobin sank two free throws, followed by DeMarco, and Tobin had a layup on an assist by Fleury to take a 64-59 advantage with 54 seconds to go. Tobin had eight points, six assists and three steals in the contest.
Heimbach was 4-for-4 in the last 17 seconds and DeMarco made two more to seal the win and help ESU withstand a late surge by Cook. The Griffins' guard drilled triples with 12 and six seconds left to make it a 68-66 game, but Heimbach iced the victory with four seconds to go.
The Warriors are off until Saturday, Dec. 20 when they host Penn State-Wilkes at 1 p.m.
