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EAST STROUDSBURG – Freshman guard Whis Grant scored 19 points and was 5-for-6 from the three-point line to lead five double-figure scorers as East Stroudsburg University secured its sixth trip to the PSAC Tournament in seven seasons with an 80-69 win over Millersville on Wednesday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.

Junior guard Gerald Bridges, Jr. tied his career-high of 14 points for the second time in three games, senior guard Russell Graham III had 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, junior forward Duane Johnson scored 11 points and freshman guard Matt Tobin had 10 for the Warriors (16-9, 12-7 PSAC). ESU also posted its seventh straight year with at least 16 wins.

Demond Vance scored 24 points off the bench and Elijah Obade had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Millersville (9-14, 7-12). Larry Grant, the Marauders' top scorer with 14.3 per game, had just two points (1-4 fg) but added seven rebounds and eight assists.

Grant, Bridges (3-for-6) and Tobin (2-for-5) led a three-point barrage as the Warriors shot 57.1 percent - 12-for-21 - for the evening and knocked down six in each half. Senior forward Eric Bryan made two in the first 12 minutes and finished with six points and six rebounds. The 12 three-pointers are tied for ESU's most in a PSAC game since hitting 14 in a win over Bloomsburg in 2005.

Graham led an offense that had 19 assists and just six turnovers, and contributed three of the Warriors' eight steals in a defensive effort that turned 16 turnovers into 30 points. Grant and Tobin, both freshmen, added four assists apiece.

Grant's five three-pointers give him 49 for the season, breaking the freshman record set last year by Will Brown, who is taking a medical redshirt this year. The Warriors' leading scorer with 14.2 points per game, Grant had his eighth game with at least 19 points – and sixth against PSAC opponents.

The Warriors had a half-dozen players score at least five points in the first half, and all six scored during a 28-10 run over the final 10 minutes of the period to lead 38-25 at halftime after three's by Grant and Bridges in the last two minutes and a jumper by Graham with three seconds left.

The lead hit 17 twice early in the second half, as Grant made two-of-three at the line after being fouled on a three-point attempt and Johnson knocked down a pair after a technical foul. Junior forward Terrance King's layup made it 47-30 at the 17-minute mark, but the Marauders pulled themselves back in it and Vance capped a 21-8 stretch with a three-pointer to make it 55-51 with 10:30 remaining.

Grant proceeded to hit back-to-back three's around a Millersville turnover to push the lead back to 10 (61-51), and Tobin drilled another three two possessions later to culminate a 9-0 run in 1:30.

Millersville never got closer than 10 the rest of the way, and Grant hit two more three's and assisted on a dunk by King down the stretch.

Grant is putting together one of the top freshman seasons in school history. His 340 points this season are the third-most by a freshman at ESU and 25 behind Dave Moyer, who had 365 in 1974-75. He also ranks third in assists by a freshman with 64, one behind Bryan Madigan (1994-95) for second; fourth in steals with 34, three away from Jonathan Roberts' record of 37 in 1986-87, and second in free throws made with 75, three from Eric Yankowy's record of 78 in 1985-86.

ESU remains tied for second in the PSAC East with Kutztown, one game behind Bloomsburg and one game ahead of West Chester, as the top four seeds have clinched PSAC Tournament berths with three games remaining.

The Warriors travel to West Chester on Saturday and topped the Golden Rams, 94-82, on January 28 at Koehler Fieldhouse. West Chester won 71-63 at Shippensburg, Bloomsburg won 81-60 at Mansfield and Kutztown won 85-59 at Cheyney on Wednesday night.


GAME NOTES
* The win is the 157th career victory for 10th-year head coach Jeff Wilson, who moves within two wins of second in school history. Lester Crapser, the program's first coach, won 159 games from 1926-39.
* The Warriors are 124-70 (.639) in the last seven years under Wilson and have only missed the PSAC Tournament once (2008-09) in that span.
* ESU is one of two PSAC schools, along with two-time defending champion IUP, to make the PSAC semifinals the last two seasons.