Box Score / Archived Telecast on ESU Warriors "All Access" / Photo Gallery

EAST STROUDSBURG – Senior guard Micah Covert put the Warriors ahead for good with a jumper with 48 seconds left as East Stroudsburg University held off West Chester for a 78-72 win in PSAC East men's basketball on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.

ESU (12-10, 5-5) maintained its hold on fourth in the PSAC East standings going into the final four conference games after West Chester (12-10, 3-7) came all the way back from a 17-point deficit to take a 66-65 lead with four minutes left.

Kehinde Roberts (17 points) knocked down two three-pointers to give the Golden Rams a pair of one-point leads, but junior forward Eric Bryan had an offensive rebound and putback to put ESU ahead 70-69 with 1:49 remaining.

Covert hit the go-ahead jumper after Khalief Foster went 1-of-2 at the line for the Golden Rams to tie the game at 70 apiece. Senior forward Mike Tobin kept the Warriors in front in the last half-minute, going 4-for-4 at the foul line, and sophomore forward Duane Johnson made a pair to seal the victory with three seconds left.

Sophomore forward Terrance King was a key for the Warriors at both ends of the floor. He had 14 points, five rebounds and tied his career-high with five blocked shots, including a rejection in the final 10 seconds with ESU ahead by four.

Will Brown hit four three-pointers, two in each half, and led ESU with 15 points. The freshman hit 4-of-8 shots from behind the three-point line after entering the game ranked fourth in the PSAC in three-point accuracy at better than 47 percent. Covert had 11 points and five assists, Tobin added 10 points and five rebounds and senior guard Mike DeMarco had five points (2-2 fg) and four assists.

ESU swept the season series from West Chester for the second straight year. The Warriors share fourth place in the conference with Cheyney and hold the tiebreaker over the Wolves with their series sweep. Kutztown and Mansfield are both 7-3 after Kutztown fell at Bloomsburg on Saturday; Bloomsburg is a game back at 6-4.

The Warriors led 34-29 at halftime and knocked down four three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half, one by Covert, two by Will Brown and one by sophomore forward Marcus Brown (nine points) to build their largest of lead of the game, 54-37, with 13:15 remaining.

West Chester got back in the game with the help of Jaleel Mack, who scored nine points in a 20-7 run. Mack's three-pointer cut the deficit to 61-57 with 7:38 remaining and the rest of the game was tight down the stretch. Roberts scored eight straight points for the Golden Rams, tying the game with two free throws and putting them ahead 66-65 and 69-68 with two three-pointers, before the Warriors prevailed.

DeMarco had a driving layup on an assist from Covert to make it 67-66, and Bryan's offensive board and basket as he was falling away from the rim put ESU in front 70-69. From there, West Chester was 1-for-5 from the field and 1-for-4 at the foul line, while ESU was 2-for-3 from the field and 6-for-6 at the line in the final two minutes.

ESU travels to Millersville on Wednesday with a chance to strengthen its PSAC playoff chances. The Warriors won the first meeting, 76-70, on January 30 at Koehler Fieldhouse.