Box Score

EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University's men's basketball team is 10-0 for the first time since the 1971-72 season after posting a 75-65 win over Clarion on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse led by 19 points from senior guard Andy Heimbach.

Heimbach hit two long three-pointers in the final three minutes to seal the victory and went over 900 career points after entering the game with 899. The Warriors' leading scorer (14.4 ppg) once again led a balanced effort with freshman forward Duane Johnson scoring 11 points off the bench and four other players finishing with at least seven points each.

The Warriors, who improved to 17-2 against the PSAC West in the past four seasons, can notch their best start since going 12-0 in 1942-43 on Sunday afternoon when they host Gannon at 3 p.m. East Stroudsburg's 1941-42 and 1942-43 teams both won a dozen games – the entire schedule for the 42-43 squad – and the 1971-72 team went 20-4 overall after their 10-0 start.

ESU came back from a second-half deficit for the second straight game as Clarion (7-3) scored the first eight points of the half after trailing 41-37 at intermission. While the Golden Eagles maintained their lead for the next 10 minutes, they were unable to push their advantage beyond five points as freshman forward Duane Johnson scored six points and freshman forward Marcus Brown hit a jumper to keep the Warriors in the game.

Junior guard Micah Covert cut the lead to 56-55 with a pair of free throws with 10:03 left, senior guard Robby Pines made two more from the line for a one-point lead a minute later and Heimbach gave ESU the lead for good with a jumper on an assist from Pines with 8:27 to play.

The Warriors built their lead with five straight points from freshman forward Terrance King, who had a three-point play and a jumper, both assisted by Pines. The Warriors' point guard hit two more free throws and Heimbach's three-pointer from several feet behind the line put ESU ahead 71-63 with 2:30 left. His fourth triple of the game gave the Warriors a 12-point margin, their largest of the afternoon, in the final minute.

In the first half, Clarion ran out to a 22-15 lead in the first seven minutes before the Warriors rattled off nine straight points to take their first lead of the day with eight minutes left.

A three-pointer by freshman guard Gerald Bridges, Jr. capped a 20-4 run and gave ESU a 35-27 lead with 4:42 on the clock, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 10-1 burst which featured four of Jamar Harrison's 15 first-half points. ESU scored the final five points of the half on a three-point play by junior forward Mike Tobin and two free throws by Pines to go in front by four at the break.

Pines was perfect (8-for-8) to do all of his scoring at the foul line and had five assists, all in the final 8:27 of the contest. He also had three of ESU's 10 steals as the Warriors forced 21 turnovers.

Johnson, the reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Week, was 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 at the line for his sixth game in double figures this season. Covert scored eight points and King and Brown both had seven apiece.

Jamar Harrison finished with 19 points for Clarion but had just four in the second half. Three other Golden Eagles were in double figures – Paul McQueen (12 points, eight rebounds), Shameel Carty (11 points, nine rebounds) and Lloyd Harrison (10 points).

Gannon will enter Sunday afternoon's tilt with the Warriors with a 4-5 record after falling 75-59 at No. 7 Kutztown on Saturday. ESU upset the No. 4-ranked Golden Knights 52-49 a year ago in Erie on a three-pointer by forward Aaron Pinckney at the buzzer.