KUTZTOWN – Junior forward Duane Johnson set career-highs with 29 points and 13 rebounds, freshman guard Matt Tobin scored 11 points in the second overtime after assisting on the game-tying basket by senior forward Eric Bryan with two seconds left in the first overtime and East Stroudsburg University came away with a 93-86 win at PSAC East leader Kutztown on Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors (14-8, 10-6 PSAC) avenged a 75-61 loss to Kutztown (14-6, 11-5) in the first meeting on January 14 to pull within a game of Kutztown and Bloomsburg, which are both 11-5 in conference games through Saturday. ESU remains two games ahead of fourth-place West Chester (11-9, 8-8).

ESU's men followed a 56-52 (2OT) win by the women's team to give both teams overtime victories on the same day for the first time in school history. It also marks the first time both teams have played multiple-overtime games on the same day.

Johnson, who scored his previous career-high of 26 points in an 83-70 win at Kutztown in last year's PSAC quarterfinals, had 25 points in regulation before Tobin took over in overtime.

Tobin, who was coming off a 28-point game in an 87-73 win at Cheyney on Wednesday, hit two three-pointers in the second overtime – the first 14 seconds into the period, and the second to give ESU a 90-84 lead with 1:36 left – and had a steal that set up a dunk by Johnson to give the Warriors early momentum in the second stanza.

He went 3-for-4 at the foul line in the last 50 seconds and ESU held Kutztown scoreless from the 2:08 mark until there were less than 10 seconds left. A three-point play by Nate Edwards (21 points) brought Kutztown within 87-84, but Tobin answered with a three at the other end.

The Warriors led just once early in the first overtime but battled back after Micah Fraction (21 points) gave Kutztown a 79-76 lead with 56 seconds left. Johnson, who was 11-for-11 at the foul line and had nine offensive rebounds, was fouled after an offensive board off a missed three by Tobin and sank both free throws to make it 79-78 with 33 seconds remaining.

ESU fouled Edwards with 11 seconds left, and he missed the first and made the second to give ESU the ball, down two, with a chance to tie or take the lead. The Warriors called timeout in the frontcourt with seven seconds left and Tobin set up Bryan (seven points, nine rebounds) for the tying bucket with just two seconds showing.

In regulation, ESU rattled off a 10-0 run after the game was tied 58-58 at the 9-minute mark to take a 68-58 lead on a jumper by freshman forward Lamont Tillery with 6:30 remaining. The Warriors still led by 10 a half-minute later before Kutztown scored 11 straight, keyed by a three by Edwards and six straight points from Eric Brennan (14 points, 15 rebounds), to go ahead 71-70 with 1:47 to play.

Senior guard Russell Graham III put ESU back in front with two free throws with 1:40 left, and Bryan made it 73-71 by going 1-for-2 at the line in the final minute. Kutztown tied it with a jumper by Edwards with 30 seconds left, and freshman guard Whis Grant (12 points) missed a three-pointer in the closing seconds to put the game into the first overtime.

Johnson was 9-for-17 from the field and 11-for-11 at the foul line in a team-high 44 minutes to lead five ESU players in double figures. Tobin had 14, Grant and junior forward Terrance King both had 12 and Graham finished with 10. ESU shot 6-for-12 from the field in outscoring Kutztown 20-13 over the two overtime periods.

Kutztown put all five of its starters in double figures, led by Edwards and Fraction, who scored 21 apiece. Devon McBride had 18, Brennan scored 14 to go with his 15 rebounds and Tyler Brooks had 10. Demerik Weglinski was the only other Kutztown player to score with two points off the bench.

McBride (21.4 ppg) and Edwards (18.3 ppg), the PSAC's first- and fifth-leading scorers, combined for their average of nearly 40 points but were just 12-for-39 from the field for Kutztown. Edwards was 6-for-21 and went 8-for-11 at the foul line, and McBride was 6-for-18 and 6-for-7 at the line. Both teams had comparable foul shooting numbers – ESU was 24-for-31 and Kutztown was 26-for-34.

The Warriors have won three straight games – their third three-game winning streak of the season – going into Wednesday's match-up at Mansfield. King (20 points) and Johnson (15) led ESU to a 76-56 win over the Mounties in its PSAC East opener on January 11 at Koehler Fieldhouse.


GAME NOTES
* The Warriors improve to 155-116 in 10 seasons under head coach Jeff Wilson. Wilson is four wins away from tying Lester Crasper (1926-39) for second-most in school history.
* Eric Bryan moved into a tie for 9th for career games played at ESU with 105. He is tied with Keith Carrol (1984-88) and George Fields (1977-81).