Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Tyrone Mann-Barnes was 6-for-6 from the three-point line, but it was his last shot – an NBA-distance three as time expired – that sent East Stroudsburg University to its first non-conference loss since January 2009 as the University of the Sciences escaped with a 56-54 win on Tuesday night at Morgan Arena.

The Warriors had won 18 straight regular season games against non-conference opponents since a 75-74 setback at Clarion on January 3, 2009. The non-league winning streak began the next day with a 52-49 upset at No. 4 Gannon on a three-pointer by forward Aaron Pinckney at the buzzer. ESU was 13-0 against non-conference foes last season, also marking the longest unbeaten streak to start a season in school history.

Mann-Barnes shot 8-for-9 from the field and scored 13 of his 22 points in the second half for USP (3-1), which overcame a 35-24 halftime deficit with a 16-5 run to start the final period.

The long-distance game-winner came after sophomore forward Terrance King appeared to score the winning bucket for the Warriors (2-1) with five seconds left. Senior forward Mike Tobin had an offensive rebound on the possession and senior guard Micah Covert set up King's layup after a timeout, but USP used a time out of its own and Mann-Barnes struck from long range.

Neither team led by more than three points over a hotly-contested final 13 minutes. A three-pointer by junior guard Russell Graham III gave ESU a 48-47 lead with just under five minutes left before Adewale Adefemi (14 points) had an offensive rebound and putback to give USP a one-point edge a minute later.

The Devils led for nearly all of the final four minutes with the advantage fluctuating between one and three points. Adefemi made two free throws to make it 53-50 with 1:47 left before Graham scored at the other end to trim the deficit to 53-52. An offensive foul gave the Warriors the ball back with under a minute to go to set up the finish.

ESU got off to a hot start, shooting 50 percent (14-for-28) from the field and 6-for-13 from the three-point line in the first half to run out to an 11-point lead. Covert and sophomore forward Marcus Brown hit from long distance early to put the Warriors ahead 15-7 and Tobin's triple made it 25-15 at the 4:41 mark of the opening period. Sophomore guard Gerald Bridges, Jr. capped the half with two three's over the final four minutes, the final shot giving ESU its halftime advantage with 34 seconds left.

USP had the hot hand in the second half, chipping into a 13-point deficit after King scored the first two points of the final 20 minutes. Mann-Barnes scored seven of the Devils' first 15 points and leveled the score at 40-all with a three-pointer with 12:42 remaining. The rest of the game was touch-and-go, with Adefemi hitting two free throws to give USP a 47-45 lead with 5:22 left, its first advantage since it was 6-5.

Mann-Barnes (22 points), Adefemi (14) and Myer Messinger (12) were in double figures for USP, which shot 54.1 percent for the game and 6-for-8 from the three-point line.

ESU had seven players score between six and eight points as part of a balanced scoring effort, but the Warriors were just 2-for-13 from long distance in the second half after going 6-for-13 to open the game. Tobin and Covert scored eight points each, Graham and sophomore forward Duane Johnson had seven and Brown, Bridges and senior guard Mike DeMarco scored six points.

The Warriors had won the last five meetings with USP, three by single-digits and another in overtime, including a 59-50 victory last season.

ESU will face two more tough non-conference opponents this weekend in the 46th Annual Pocono Classic presented by State Farm, hosting Edinboro on Friday night and Felician on Saturday night at Koehler Fieldhouse. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap to four games on each day, which begin at 1 p.m.