Box Score  l  Blue Ridge TV-13 Broadcast

EAST STROUDSBURG – Freshman guard Matt Tobin scored a career-high 17 points to lead seven Warriors with at least seven points as East Stroudsburg University opened a 24-point lead and went on to an 82-65 win over Molloy in non-conference men's basketball on Monday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors won their 31st consecutive home non-conference game with a 50 percent night from the field, led by Tobin's 6-for-9 outing with three three-pointers. ESU's last home non-conference loss came against Nyack on November 27, 2007; the Warriors can finish the season with 32 straight when they host USP on Monday, Dec. 19.

ESU (4-3) was coming off a 61.7 percent shooting night in a 99-75 win over St. Thomas Aquinas, making its first nine shots, and started hot again with a 14-1 spurt in the first 4:30 to take control early.

The Warriors built their biggest lead, 34-10, at the 5:45 mark of the first half and led 38-20 at halftime. They were threatened early in the second half, when Molloy (1-5) scored 12 of the first 17 points to pull within 43-32 on a three-point play by John Petrucelli, but Tobin knocked down a three the next time down to start a 9-1 stretch for ESU.

Tobin, who had 16 points twice already this season, added five assists to go with his 17 points. Junior forwards Duane Johnson (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Terrance King (10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks) just missed double-doubles.

Senior forward Eric Bryan had nine points and eight rebounds, freshman forward Lamont Tillery had a career-high nine points, senior guard Russell Graham III had eight points and six assists and junior guard Gerald Bridges, Jr. added seven points.

ESU blocked eight shots on the defensive end to contribute to Molloy's 35.7 percent (20-56) night from the field. The Lions shot just 18.8 percent in the first half (6-32), and were 3 for their first 29 before making their last three shots of the half. They shot 58.3 percent (14-24) in the second half but were just 3-for-13 from the three-point line in the game.

The Warriors held top scorer Jimmy Nolan (22.2 ppg) to six points on 1-for-8 shooting. Petrucelli, last season's ECC Freshman of the Year, picked up some of the scoring load with 25 points – 19 in the second half – and Dariel Concha had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

ESU had eight players find the scoring column in the first half alone and shot 50 percent in each half. When they did miss, the Warriors gathered 13 offensive rebounds compared to 20 defensive boards for Molloy. ESU scored more than 80 points for the fifth time in seven games this season.

The Warriors will play the second set of PSAC crossover games with a trip to Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst this weekend. Game times on Saturday and Sunday are both set for 3 p.m.