Box Score

ERIE - East Stroudsburg University held Gannon scoreless over the final 6:12 to improve to 2-0 in the PSAC, grinding out a 52-46 win over the Golden Knights in PSAC men's basketball on Sunday afternoon at the Hammermill Center.

Senior forwards Terrance King (16 points, 6 rebounds) and Duane Johnson (12 points, 5 rebounds) led the Warriors offensively, and Gannon's 46 points are tied for the fewest by a PSAC opponent in the 138 conference games coached by Jeff Wilson, who is in his 11th season.

The Warriors (5-1, 2-0), the defending PSAC champions,  are one of two PSAC East teams to go 2-0 on the opening weekend of conference play, along with Millersville, which won at Lock Haven and Clarion. Edinboro and Slippery Rock opened 2-0 in the PSAC West. ESU won 67-62 at Mercyhurst on Saturday behind 19 points and nine rebounds from Johnson and 18 points by sophomore guard Whis Grant.

Gannon (5-1, 1-1), which was looking for a 6-0 start after a 67-56 win over Kutztown on Saturday, scored just two points and went without a field goal for the final 8:23, going 0-for-8 from the field with six turnovers down the stretch.

Gannon shot 45.2 percent (19-for-42) but committed 21 turnovers - 12 in the second half. Darrell Blanton had 19 points and seven rebounds and Adam Blazek scored 11 points to account for 30 of Gannon's 46.

ESU faced a 40-35 deficit with just under 12 minutes remaining and didn't take the lead for good until Johnson knocked down a jumper for a 48-46 advantage with 3:23 left. The next points didn't come until the 1:39-mark, when King had an offensive rebound and putback for a four-point edge.

The Golden Knights were 0-for-3 with two turnovers on their last four possessions in the final 1:15, while ESU also had two turnovers in that stretch. Brandon Emmitt missed a three-pointer with 30 seconds left with Johnson securing the defensive rebound, but ESU turned it over to give Gannon another chance.

Blazek missed a three and Robert Wilson missed a jumper after an offensive rebound, and senior guard Blair Ramsey grabbed the board with 10 seconds left. Johnson sealed it with two free throws with three seconds remaining, then had a steal to end the game.

ESU fell behind 9-2 out of the gate but took the lead at 17-16 on a jumper by King and led 26-25 at halftime.

The low-scoring affair continued into the second half, with neither team taking control until Gannon jumped in front, 40-35, with a 9-0 run capped by a jumper by Wilson after the under-12 media timeout.

ESU came back with a 7-2 stretch, getting buckets from Johnson and King and a three-pointer by senior forward Gerald Bridges to tie it at 42 with 8:49 remaining. Alvin Tucker put Gannon back in front, 44-42, on its next trip on what would prove to be the Golden Knights' final field goal of the contest.

A three-point play by sophomore guard Matt Tobin tied the game at 46-all with 4:33 on the clock, and he assisted on Johnson's go-ahead basket with just over three minutes to play.

King was 8-for-11 from the field and Johnson was 4-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the foul line. The rest of the Warriors were just 8-for-35, but they grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and committed just 12 turnovers.

Tobin had seven points, four rebounds and four assists and Bridges knocked two three-pointers for six points. Junior forward Zechariah Runkle also scored six on a pair of first-half three-pointers.

The Warriors are at Cheyney on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tipoff at Cope Hall. ESU has won seven straight against the Wolves, tied for its best-ever stretch in a series that goes back to 1954. Cheyney (2-2, 1-1) beat No. 15-ranked IUP, 64-60, on Saturday before falling 64-59 to California Sunday.

GAME NOTES
* ESU held Bloomsburg to 46 points in a 72-46 win during the 2007-08 season, tied for the fewest by a PSAC opponent against the Warriors under head coach Jeff Wilson.
* ESU's 52 points are its fewest scored in a PSAC win under Coach Wilson. The Warriors previously had a 54-49 win vs. West Chester in 2005. They also had a 52-49 win at Gannon in 2009, but that game did not count in the conference standings as it was a western division "crossover" and not a true PSAC game.