Box Score

INDIANA, Pa. – Darryl Webb had 22 points and 17 rebounds as defending national runner-up IUP held off East Stroudsburg University, 78-72, in a match-up of the preseason favorites in the PSAC's western and eastern divisions on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Fieldhouse.

Sophomore forward Duane Johnson scored 16 of his career-high 23 points in the second half as ESU (7-4) nearly overcame a 12-point halftime deficit after trailing by as many as 20 points in the first half. Johnson was 9-for-11 from the field and made his first nine shots before missing a pair of three-pointers in the last half-minute.

IUP (8-3) was 6-for-6 at the foul line in the final minute after the Warriors cut a 70-60 deficit at the four-minute mark to 72-69 with 1:00 left. ESU was unable to rally from double figures the second straight game after staging an 11-point comeback in the last minute of regulation in an 88-86 (OT) win over Mercyhurst on Tuesday.

Ashton Smith was 4-for-4 at the line down the stretch and had 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Crimson Hawks extended their home winning streak to 27 games. Kevin Stewart added 14 points and Webb, Smith and Stewart combined to go 24-for-29 at the foul line. IUP was 29-for-38 at the line compared to ESU's 16-for-21 mark in a game that saw both teams shoot just over 45 percent and turn the ball over 12 times apiece.

IUP used a 15-0 run in a four-minute stretch late in the first half to jump out to a 36-16 lead a rematch of last year's PSAC semifinal won by the Crimson Hawks, 67-63, at ESU's Koehler Fieldhouse. The Warriors closed the margin to 40-28 at halftime but trailed 46-32 three minutes into the second half before Johnson took over and pulled the Warriors back in the game.

The sophomore from Penn Wood went on a personal 10-1 run, hitting two three-pointers and a pair of layups, in less than four minutes to make the score 47-42 with 13:22 remaining, and sophomore guard Gerald Bridges, Jr. hit a long three to get the Warriors within four.

IUP pushed its lead back to 10 with 10 minutes to play when the Warriors rallied again, putting together an 11-3 run capped by a pair of driving layups by senior forward Mike Tobin to get within 62-60 with 6:45 on the clock.

Once again the Crimson Hawks responded, going inside to Webb for three buckets in the next three minutes to get the lead back to double figures at the four-minute timeout.

ESU climbed back for the final time, starting with two free throws by sophomore forward Terrance King and a jumper by Johnson to make it 70-64. The Warriors didn't score on their next possession after a layup by Julian Sanders, but Johnson was fouled and Stewart was hit with a technical foul to give the Warriors a three-point possession after Johnson went 1-for-2 and sophomore guard Blair Ramsey hit the technical free throws.

ESU forced a pair of turnovers and Ramsey hit a shot in the lane to trim the deficit to 72-69 with exactly 1:00 on the clock, but Smith made two free throws, Stewart hit two more after the Warriors missed a three-pointer and Smith iced it with another pair at the line.

Tobin and King both scored 12 points to give ESU three players in double figures. King was 4-for-4, the second time in three games that he hasn't missed a shot from the floor, and had five rebounds, two blocks and three steals. Tobin scored six points in each half, Ramsey had six points and three assists and junior forward Eric Bryan had eight points, five rebounds and was 6-for-7 at the foul line.

The Warriors had won their last three regular season meetings with IUP in the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. They entered the weekend with a 22-2 record in PSAC crossover games against the western division since 2006-07 and will head to California to take on the preseason No. 3 pick in the PSAC West on Sunday. Cal (6-4) fell to Kutztown, 72-66, on Saturday.