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Andy Heimbach - Final Thoughts on Record-Setting 2009-10 Season

INDIANA – The second-best three-point shooting team in Division II hit 16 from long distance, including nine by Jason Emerson (31 points), as No. 12 West Virginia State posted an 89-79 win over East Stroudsburg University in the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional on Saturday at Memorial Field House.

ESU finishes the season with a 24-6 record, setting a new school record for wins. The Warriors were playing in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history and the first time since the 1989-90 season.

Junior guard Mike DeMarco scored 15 points, freshman forward Duane Johnson had 12 and senior guard Robby Pines and sophomore forward Eric Bryan had 10 each for ESU.

West Virginia State (29-3) advances to play the winner of the quarterfinal game between IUP and Fairmont State. The Yellow Jackets, who were second in the nation with 11.5 three-pointers per game on their way to winning the WVIAC tournament championship, used a 15-5 run midway through the second half to open a double-digit lead after holding a 47-42 advantage at halftime.

Emerson was 7-for-11 from long distance in the first half, 9-for-17 for the game, and scored WV State's final 24 points of the first half. Darren Jones had 19 points and eight assists, Bo King had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Fred Harris contributed nine points, seven rebounds and six blocks.

WV State shot 50 percent from the field (29-for-58) and 45.7 percent (16-for-35) from the three-point line, including a 12-for-23 effort in the first half. ESU shot 41.2 percent and just 11-for-33 after halftime while turning the ball over only nine times.

Pines had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists and one steal in his final game at ESU. He finishes the season second in school history in assists (193) and fifth in steals (68), and sixth in career assists (310) and 10th in career steals (122).

Senior guard Andy Heimbach scored seven points and closes his career with 1,153 points, 15th all-time at ESU. He holds the Warriors' season and career records for three-pointers with 76 and 236, respectively.

There were 10 ties and six lead changes in a first half that saw WV State jump out to an early 10-3 lead before ESU went on an 11-3 run over a three-minute stretch, sparked by a pair of baskets by Johnson, to take its first lead at 14-13.

The first 10 minutes were played at a frenetic pace, with a 23-23 score nine minutes into the game, before both teams settled in. Emerson began his scoring with a three-pointer with 8:25 on the clock and would hit six more triples and three free throws before the end of the half.

ESU used its strength inside for a 24-2 advantage in points in the paint in the first 20 minutes. Bryan tied his career-high with 10 points, all in the first half, freshman forward Marcus Brown scored seven points and all nine Warriors who got on the floor scored at least one basket.

Emerson's final three-pointer with four seconds left in the first half gave WV State its 47-42 advantage, and ESU twice pulled within a single point in the second half but could never reclaim the lead.

DeMarco hit a three-pointer and junior forward Mike Tobin (five points, seven rebounds) had a driving layup to make the score 50-49 with 16:24 left. ESU got within 55-54 with 12:55 to play on a tip-in by Brown but wouldn't get any closer and WV State established its first double-digit lead of the game with its 15-5 run over the next six minutes.

The Warriors' record-setting season included a share of the PSAC East regular season championship and a trip to the PSAC semifinals for the first time since 1992, the longest undefeated start in school history at 13-0 and the best 20-game start at 19-1. They were nationally-ranked for the second time in school history, maintain a spot for six straight weeks, and were as high as No. 12 on February 9 after the 19-1 start.

Head coach Jeff Wilson was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year, Terrance King was the Freshman of the Year and Heimbach (first team) and Pines (second team) were both named to the All-PSAC East squad.

Wilson guided a team picked sixth in the preseason coaches poll to a 10-4 mark in PSAC East play and a share of the regular season title with Mansfield. The Warriors beat Cheyney 76-65 in the PSAC quarterfinals for their first postseason victory in 19 years and are 92-49 under Wilson over the past five seasons, the most wins in a five-year stretch in school history.