Complete Game Notes (PDF)  l  Selection Announcement  l  West Liberty Tournament page

Watch: Coach Wilson, Johnson discuss NCAA bid   Photos: Media Night

Pocono Record: Wilson tied to mentor Mentesana  l  Warriors set for Saturday

Morning Call: ESU preps for match-up with IUP

All-Region: Grant named to All-Region 1st team

Follow (Saturday, 12 p.m.):  Live Stats  l  Twitter  l  Live Video


THE MATCH-UP: ESU returns to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 3rd time in 4 years and faces a familiar foe in IUP in its opening round match-up on Saturday at West Liberty.

The Warriors are one of 4 teams - along with West Liberty (4), IUP (4) and Winston-Salem (3) - to be selected from the Atlantic Region in 3 of the last 4 years. They have the 3rd-best winning percentage in the region (.695, 82-36) and are tied for the 3rd-most wins in that stretch.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: ESU is in the field for the 4th time overall - 1990, 2010, 2012 and 2013 - and has a record of 1-3. The Warriors are an at-large selection this year after earning the PSAC's automatic bid as the conference champion in 2012. They were also an at-large selection in 2010 and were the East Region runner-up in their previous trip in 1990.

1990 - 1st round - W 99-98 (OT) vs. Slippery Rock (at Mercyhurst)
1990 - East final - L 72-63 vs. Gannon (at Mercyhurst)
2010 - 1st round - L 89-79  (#5 ESU vs. #4 WV State, at IUP)
2012 - 1st round - L 119-82  (#8 ESU at #1 West Liberty)

ESU vs. IUP: The Warriors won the regular season meeting, 57-55, on Jan. 4 at ESU's Koehler Fieldhouse ... ESU (2012) and IUP (2010-11, 13) have combined to win the last 4 PSAC championships and have the best two winning percentages in the PSAC in the last 4 years ... this is the 3rd postseason meeting in 4 years (IUP won twice in PSAC semifinals - 2010-11)

WARRIORS SENIOR CLASS: ESU's senior class of F Duane Johnson, F Terrance King, F Gerald Bridges, G Blair Ramsey and F Dan Clapp has compiled 82 wins, the most in school history.

In the last 4 years, the Warriors have also:
* played in 4 straight PSAC Final 4's
* won 2 of the 3 PSAC East regular season titles in school history (2010, 2013 - also 1992)
* won the 2nd PSAC championship in school history (2012 - also 1990)
* played on 2 of the 3 winningest teams in school history - 24 in 2010 (ESU record), 22 in 2013
* played in 3 of the 4 NCAA Tournaments in school history (2010, 2012-13 - also 1990)


ESU FANS -- TICKET INFORMATION

Adults - $12 per session  (ESU plays the 1st game of Session 1 on Saturday)
Students with ID - $6 per session
Adults - $20 Day Pass (2 Sessions on Saturday)
Adults - $35 Tournament Pass (All Games)

Please note: ESU is given a block of 150 tickets for Saturday's session, the remainder of which will be released back to West Liberty on Thursday.

To reserve your tickets in this block - please e-mail Greg Knowlden, ESU Sports Information Director, at gknowlden@po-box.esu.edu - by Wednesday afternoon.  Please note the number of adult and student tickets requested.

Schedule if ESU advances:
Saturday - 12 p.m. vs. IUP
Sunday - 5 p.m. vs. Winston-Salem/Slippery Rock winner
Tuesday - 7 p.m., Regional final


(Resume Notes)

ALL-PSAC EAST HONORS: Head coach Jeff Wilson was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year, So. G Whis Grant was named PSAC East Athlete of the Year, Sr. F Terrance King was also named to the 1st team and Sr. F Duane Johnson was named to the 2nd team on March 5.  (UPDATE - Grant named to Daktronics All-Region 1st team)

Grant (17.3 ppg), Johnson (14.4) and King (13.4) have combined for 45 of ESU's PSAC-leading 78.3 points per game this season. They were also the top 3 scorers in last year's PSAC championship team.

TOURNAMENT TESTED: ESU has played 11 postseason games over the last 4 years, going 6-5 - 6-3 in the PSAC Tournament, and 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.
* Johnson and King have played in all 11 postseason games, a school record
* Johnson and King have played in 117 games (of 118) overall, tied for the school record
* 8 of the 11 postseason games have been in road or neutral site venues, going 4-4

2013 HIGHLIGHTS: Aside from this year's PSAC East championship and 4th straight PSAC Final 4 trip, the 2013 season has brought several milestones:
* 14-game winning streak (tied school record) from Dec. 19 to Feb. 13
* 11 straight PSAC road wins (school record) - including final 2 games of 2012
* 20-2 start (2nd-best ever) - securing 8th 20-win season in ESU history and 3rd in 4 years
* 6 straight weeks in NABC Top 25 (tied for longest stretch in Top 25)
* #9 ranking (highest ever) on Feb. 12

HEAD COACH JEFF WILSON: Wilson (ESU '86) is in his 11th year as head coach and has a 183-126 record. Including this season, he has been part of the ESU basketball program for 24 of the last 30 years as a player (1983-86), assistant coach (1986-96) and head coach (2002-13).

Career Highlights
* 2010 NABC Atlantic Region Coach of the Year
* 2010, 2013 PSAC East Coach of the Year
* head coach of 2012 PSAC championship team
* head coach of 2010, 2012, 2013 NCAA Tournament teams
* asst. coach of 1990 PSAC championship team
* asst. coach of 1990 NCAA Tournament (East Region runner-up) team
* took over team that was 4-20 prior to his arrival in 2002-03
* has guided ESU to PSAC Tournament in 7 of last 8 years, including 4 straight PSAC Final 4's

WHAT THE WARRIORS DO WELL ...
* 5th in DII in 3-point defense (28.8)
* 10th in DII in turnover margin (+5.0) (leads PSAC)
* 13th in DII in steals per game (10.1) (top 25 for 5th time in 8 years)
* 38th in DII in scoring offense (78.3) (leads PSAC)

WHIS GRANT - PSAC EAST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
* Grant, a sophomore guard, leads ESU with 17.3 ppg
* led 2012 PSAC championship team with 13.9 ppg as a freshman
* just the 4th sophomore since 1988 to be named PSAC East or West Athlete of the Year

* 10 games of 20+ points this year, and 15 in his career
* high of 30 vs. Alderson-Broaddus in season opener (W 80-79)
* scored 30 in first career game vs. West Liberty (L 96-92 - Nov. 2011)

* averaged 22.9 ppg in 9-game stretch (Jan. 11 through Feb. 6)
* 899 career points - 2nd most through 2 seasons at ESU
* most is 921 by Jonathan Roberts (all-time leading scorer - 2,218)

* 7th in PSAC in scoring (17.3 ppg)
* 2nd in 3-point percentage (39.9) and 5th in 3-pointers made (2.4)

Has been part of championship teams in last 4 years (102-27)
* 2010 - 30-2 - PA HS “AAAA” title at Plymouth-Whitemarsh
* 2011 - 30-7 - National Prep title at St. Thomas More (Conn.)
* 2012 - 20-12 - PSAC tournament title
* 2013 - 22-6 - PSAC East regular season title

DUANE JOHNSON - 3-TIME ALL-PSAC EAST
* Johnson, a senior forward, is one of ESU's most decorated players
* 1 of 3 players in school history to be named 3-time All-PSAC East
* 2nd team 2011, 1st team 2012, 2nd team 2013

* 7th at ESU in scoring (1,339) - 9th in rebounding (605)
* 4th in steals (147) - 8th in blocks (90) - 2nd in FT made (366)

* top 20 in PSAC - points (14.4), rebounds (6.3), steals (1.6), blocks (0.9)
* averaging career-highs in scoring, rebounds, steals and FT% (79.3)

Has led ESU in minutes for 3 straight years (averaging 31.0 per game)
* only ESU player with 3,000+ minutes (3,234) in last 25 years

TERRANCE KING - 2-TIME ALL-PSAC EAST, 2012 PSAC TOURNEY MVP
* King, a senior forward, has received multiple accolades at ESU
* 2013 - All-PSAC East 1st team
* 2012 - All-PSAC East 2nd team
* 2012 - PSAC Tournament MVP (22.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg in 3 games)
* 2010 - PSAC East Freshman of the Year

* 10th at ESU in scoring (1,326) - 7th in rebounding (688)
* 3rd at ESU, and 10th in PSAC history, in blocked shots (179)

* 1st in PSAC East in FG% (57.4), 3rd in blocks (1.4), 8th in rebounds (7.0)
* averaging career-highs in scoring (13.4), rebounds and FG%

SENIORS BRIDGES, RAMSEY - IMPORTED FROM DETROIT
* F Gerald Bridges is a 4-year member of the ESU program
* G Blair Ramsey transferred to ESU after 1 season at Adrian (Mich.)
* High school teammates at University of Detroit Jesuit

Bridges has played in 109 games and 9 postseason games at ESU
* 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg this year - 6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg last year
* 525 career points and 101 3-pointers

Ramsey has played in 71 games (2 starts) at point guard
* career assist-turnover ratio of almost 1.5 (125-to-87)

So. G MATT TOBIN HAS ESU FAMILY LEGACY
* brother Mike (2007-11) was 2nd-leading scorer, rebounder on 2010 NCAA Tournament team and 2011 PSAC Final 4 team
* father was high school coach of ESU asst. coach Justin Potts
* Matt was backup guard as FR on 2012 PSAC championship team

* 1st year as starting PG - 2nd in PSAC East in assists (3.7), ast-to (1.4)
* 8.1 ppg as FR - 8.0 ppg as SO (483 career points in 60 games)

BRIDGES, RUNKLE, TILLERY MAN “4” SPOT
* ESU rotates all 3 players at power forward
* have contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds per game
* combined to shoot 34.4% (63-for-183) from 3-point line

* Sr. F Gerald Bridges - 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 32.7 3-pt % (34-104)
* Jr. F Zechariah Runkle - 4.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 38.9 3-pt % (14-36)
   (2nd year in program - 2-year member of ESU football team)
* So. F Lamont Tillery - 5.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 34.9 3-pt % (15-43)

ESU vs. IUP
* IUP holds a 13-6 lead in the all-time series
* IUP leads, 6-4, since Wilson took over prior to the 2002-03 season
* Wilson is 3-4 against IUP since Joe Lombardi took over in 2006-07

* 2011 PSAC semifinals at IUP - IUP 81, ESU 72
* 2010 PSAC semifinals at ESU - IUP 67, ESU 63

LAST MEETING: ESU won this year's regular season meeting, 57-55, on January 4 at Koehler Fieldhouse in the 2nd game of a school record-tying 14-game winning streak.

King had 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Grant had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Mathis Keita led IUP with 23 points and 7 rebounds. A 3-pointer by Grant gave ESU the lead for good (46-44) with just over 5 minutes left.

IUP had 23 turnovers and shot 32.0 percent (2-10 from 3). ESU had 19 turnovers and shot 36.0 percent (2-18 from 3). IUP held a 41-33 rebounding advantage.

ESU vs. the rest of the field:

#1 West Liberty - 1-2
#2 Winston-Salem - 0-0
#3 IUP  - 6-13
#4 Fairmont State - 0-2
#5 Livingstone - 0-0
#7 Slippery Rock - 13-4
#8 Bowie State - 2-0

Automatic Bids
WVIAC - West Liberty
PSAC - IUP
CIAA - Bowie State

Saturday's Schedule

12 PM - #3 IUP (24-5) vs. #6 ESU (22-6)
2:30 PM #2 Winston-Salem (21-6) vs. #7 Slippery Rock (22-8)

6 PM - #1 West Liberty (30-1) vs. #8 Bowie State (16-13)
8:30 PM - #4 Fairmont State (22-8) vs. #5 Livingstone (22-6)

Sunday's Schedule

5 PM - IUP/ESU vs. Winston-Salem/Slippery Rock
7:30 PM - West Liberty/Bowie State vs. Fairmont State/Livingstone

Tuesday's Schedule

7 PM - Atlantic Region final

March 28-30 - Elite 8, Final 4 in Louisville, KY (Freedom Hall)
April 7 - Division II Championship game in Atlanta, GA (Phillips Arena)


LAST TIME OUT: Slippery Rock held off ESU for a 68-59 win in the PSAC semifinals on Friday, March 8 at IUP. ESU had won the regular season meeting at Slippery Rock, 84-72, on January 11.

ESU trailed 35-20 at halftime and cut a 19-point deficit to 6 with just over 2 minutes left. The Warriors shot just 26.3% (15-57) after shooting 63% and 53% in their previous two games, scoring 102 in both.

Sr. F Duane Johnson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and So. G Whis Grant scored all 13 of his points in the 2nd half.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS: IUP is in the NCAA Tournament for the 5th straight season and was the national runner-up in 2010. They advanced to the 2nd round in 2009 and 2011, and lost their opener to Shaw last year. Head coach Joe Lombardi (157-64) is in his 7th year.

Jr. G Mathis Keita, a transfer from Gonzaga, was 1st team All-PSAC West and leads IUP with 13.9 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Sr. G Scooter Renkin (12.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Sr. G Anthony Wells (11.0 ppg) were 2nd team All-PSAC West.

The Crimson Hawks are 2nd in the PSAC in scoring defense (59.6 ppg) and won their 3rd PSAC title in 4 years, 52-46, over Slippery Rock on Saturday. They topped West Chester, 92-76, in the PSAC semifinals. IUP has made 42 3-pointers in the last 4 games (44.7%), including 15-for-23 vs. West Chester, after making 5.8 per game and shooting 33.0 percent in its first 25 games.

#1 WEST LIBERTY: 2-time defending Atlantic Region champion ... in NCAA Tournament for 5th straight season ... 16 straight wins since only loss (101-96 at Charleston) on Jan. 14 ... 27-game home winning streak ... lead DII in scoring (103.7 ppg) for 7th time in 8 years ... Sr. G Alex Falk (20.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) is WVIAC Player of the Year ... Jr. G Cedrick Harris (17.6 ppg, 5.2 apg) is also 1st team All-WVIAC ... So. G C.J. Hester (12.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is on 2nd team ... So. G Shawn Dyer (10.8), Sr. F Chris Morrow (10.0), Fr. F Seger Bonifant (9.0), Sr. G Tim Hausfeld (8.7) and R-Fr. G Bubby Goodwin (7.3) all contribute ... top 8 scorers have all made 18+ 3-pointers (avg 11.3 per game).

#2 WINSTON-SALEM: 3rd straight year in NCAA Tournament after reclassifying back to DII ... lost 83-76 to Bowie State in CIAA semifinal ... Sr. G Justin Glover (17.3 ppg) and So. F WyKevin Bazemore (9.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg) are All-CIAA ... Bazemore was 2012 CIAA Rookie of the Year ... Sr. F Wakefield Ellison averages 10.0 ppg.

#4 FAIRMONT STATE: Selected for 2nd NCAA Tournament in 4 years (lost 71-67 at IUP in 2010) ... lost 92-78 to West Liberty in WVIAC final ... Sr. G Isaac Thornton (17.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is 1st team All-WVIAC ... 3 players were named 2nd team - Sr. G Malik Stith (15.0 ppg, 3.6 apg), Sr. F Isaiah Hill (12.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Jr. F Brendan Cooper (12.7, 7.0)

#5 LIVINGSTONE: 1st NCAA Tournament trip ... had won 8 straight before 85-78 loss to Bowie State in CIAA final ... Jr. G Mark Thomas (18.0 ppg, 3.7 apg) is All-CIAA ... also feature Jr. G Jody Hill (13.9 ppg) and Sr. G Omar Ford-Bey (7.0), a transfer from Kutztown.

#7 SLIPPERY ROCK: 2nd NCAA Tournament in 3 years (2011) ... also went in 1990 and 1991 (ESU won 99-98 OT in 1st round in 1990) ... lost 52-46 to IUP in PSAC final (beat ESU 68-59 in semifinal) ... Sr. F Devin Taylor (14.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg) is 1st team All-PSAC West ... Sr. F Gerald Brooks (12.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg), a transfer from IUP, is 2nd team ... 2nd in DII in rebounding margin (+11.9) and field goal % defense (36.6).

#8 BOWIE STATE: 5th trip to NCAA Tournament (2003-05, 2011 - 2003 Final 4) ... won 4 games in CIAA Tournament (semi - 83-66 vs. Winston-Salem, final - 85-74 vs. Livingstone) ... Sr. F Byron Westmoreland posts 23.5 ppg (6 with 30+, 27.0 ppg in CIAA Tourney, 38 in championship).