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ESU men's basketball
Rob Frank

ESU Men's Basketball Falls to IUP, 76-60, in PSAC Semifinals

3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM

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ERIE - East Stroudsburg University led 33-26 at halftime, but an injury to senior guard Whis Grant and second-half foul trouble was too much to overcome as IUP prevailed, 76-60, in the PSAC men's basketball semifinals on Saturday at Gannon University's Hammermill Center.

Sophomore forward Rasheed Moore scored 15 points, redshirt senior guard Will Brown scored 11 and Grant had 10 (all in the first half) for ESU (19-10).

The Warriors played in their sixth straight PSAC Final Four, tied for the conference's longest streak (with California from 1992-97) since the semifinal format was introduced in 1981.

IUP (26-5) advances to play host Gannon, which earned a 69-56 win over Kutztown in the second semifinal. This marks the fifth straight year that the PSAC championship game will be played between the two schools in the hosting division.

Shawn Dyer had 20 points and eight rebounds, Brandon Norfleet scored 17 points and Devante Chance had 15 points and 10 assists for the Crimson Hawks.

ESU's four-year senior class of Grant, Matt Tobin, Lamont Tillery and Muhamadou Kaba finishes their careers with a program-record 91 wins (91-31), four PSAC Final Four's, three NCAA DII Tournament trips, three straight outright PSAC East regular season titles and two PSAC championships (2012, 2014). The Warriors were 30-2, won the PSAC championship and advanced to the NCAA DII Atlantic Region final in 2014.

Tobin, the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, finishes his career with 1,042 career points, 546 assists (an ESU record and the ninth-most in PSAC history) and 191 steals (#4 at ESU).

Grant, a two-time All-American and the 2013 PSAC East Athlete of the Year, had 1,860 career points (#2 at ESU), 268 three-pointers (#1), 349 assists (#5) and 197 steals (#3).

Tillery played in all 122 games in his career, a program record, scoring 756 points and grabbing 412 rebounds. Kaba played in 113 games, with 287 points and 227 boards.

Grant, who was 4-for-5 for 10 points in the first half, was injured on the final play of the period and did not return. Grant converted a three-point play with 1.7 seconds left before a midcourt scramble after the inbounds pass.

Tobin and Brown were saddled by foul trouble in the second half, before both fouled out in the final four minutes.

ESU led 33-26 at intermission, closing the half on a 21-8 run after IUP led 18-12 just over 11 minutes into the period.

Brown and Moore hit three-pointers before the media timeout to tie the game at 18-all, then Brown drilled another three, Grant scored after an IUP turnover and hit a three a minute later for a 14-0 run and a 26-18 lead with six minutes left in the half.

IUP scored the next six points before the Warriors closed the half with seven of the last nine points, on two buckets by Moore followed by Grant's three-point play.

After intermission, IUP scored the first 11 points of the second half to take a 37-33 lead.

Moore and Brown hit three's and junior guard Jamal Nwaniemeka converted a three-point play to stem the tide and give the Warriors a 42-41 lead, but IUP extended its advantage with an 11-3 spurt.

ESU closed within 52-49 on a layup by Tillery and fastbreak layup by Brown at the 10-minute mark but wouldn't get back within one possession.

Dyer knocked down a three to push IUP's lead to double figures for the first time with just under five minutes remaining, and the Crimson Hawks had a 10-0 run in the final four minutes.

GAME NOTES
* ESU played in 15 postseason game in the last 4 years, going 10-5.
* Grant, Tillery and Tobin played in all 15 postseason games, and Kaba played in 14 games.
* ESU has played in 20 postseason games in the last 6 years. The Warriors played in 14 postseason games in the previous 30 years.

* In the last 6 years, ESU has:
6 PSAC Final 4's
4 NCAA DII Tournaments
4 PSAC East regular season titles
2 PSAC championships
1 NCAA DII Atlantic Region runner-up
131 wins
4 20-win seasons

* ESU was the 1st PSAC East school to win 3 straight divsional titles since 1985-87 (Millersville).
* ESU was the 1st PSAC East school to win 3 straight outright divisional titles since 1976-80 (Cheyney).

* ESU finished the season with 6 players with 750 career points:
1860 - Whis Grant (#2 at ESU)
1042 - Matt Tobin
801 - Rasheed Moore
759 - Jamal Nwaniemeka
756 - Lamont Tillery
751 - Will Brown

* ESU head coach Jeff Wilson has coached in 6 straight PSAC Final Four's, the most in the last 35 years:
6 - Jeff Wilson, ESU (2010-15)
5 - Charlie Chronister, Bloomsburg (1998-02)
Jim Boone, California (1992-96)
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