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ESU Basketball at West Chester Tuesday Night for PSAC Quarterfinal Doubleheader

2/29/2016 12:00:00 AM

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EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University's basketball programs travel to West Chester Tuesday for a PSAC Tournament quarterfinal doubleheader, with the women's game at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

In the first game, ESU (15-12), the No. 4 seed in the PSAC East, takes on the No. 1 seed Golden Rams (20-6) as the Warriors look for their first trip to the PSAC Final Four since 2007.

In the nightcap, ESU (21-6), the No. 3 seed, faces No. 2 WCU (21-5) in the third PSAC Tournament meeting between the two schools in the last five seasons.

The Warriors have reached six straight PSAC Final Four's (2010-15), tied with California (1992-97) for the conference's longest stretch in the last 35 years.

Four PSAC schools - ESU, West Chester, Shippensburg and IUP - have both their men's and women's teams competing in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

In the other women's contests, PSAC East No. 2 Shippensburg (20-6) hosts No. 3 Millersville (19-8), PSAC West No. 1 California (21-5) hosts No. 4 Edinboro (20-9) and No. 2 IUP (19-7) hosts No. 3 Gannon (17-10).

In other men's games, PSAC East No. 1 Kutztown (21-5) hosts No. 4 Shippensburg (19-8), PSAC West No. 1 IUP (20-7) hosts No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown (18-10) and No. 2 Mercyhurst (18-8) hosts No. 6 Clarion (14-15).

Women's Game

ESU, in the PSAC Tournament for the fourth straight year, reached the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons with a 79-69 (OT) win vs. Bloomsburg on Saturday, surviving the Huskies' upset bid. BU scored the final eight points of regulation, but ESU held a 12-2 advantage in the overtime session.

Sophomore guard Imani Brown (22 points) and junior forward Allison Howard (20 points) were the first ESU teammates with 20+ points in a game since November 2012 and sophomore forward Rebecca Rutkowski (14 points, 11 rebounds) had her first career double-double, the Warriors' first postseason double-double in at least 20 years.

ESU had five players in double figures (Brown, Howard, Rutkowski, senior guard Tyeca Reviere 11 and junior guard Rachel Falkowski 10) for the first time since December 2008.

The Warriors, who have won four straight, last reached the quarterfinals in 2014, falling 76-51 at Bloomsburg. ESU first-year head coach Diane Decker was in her sixth of seven seasons with the Huskies during that contest.

West Chester holds the upper hand in the recent series, winning nine straight, 18 of the last 19 and 37 of the last 40 since the start of the 1996-97 season. The Golden Rams have won the last 21 at Hollinger Field House since ESU's 72-67 win on February 22, 1995.

WCU won both meetings this year, 84-67 on its home floor on January 9 and 85-77 (OT) at ESU on February 10.

Tuesday night's game will be the first PSAC postseason meeting between the two schools. They met three times in EAIAW Regional action with WCU winning in 1971, and the Warriors prevailing in 1973 and 1976.

ESU has won 14 of its last 19 games after a 1-7 start in its first season under Decker, who was previously acting head coach during the 2007-08 season (taking ESU to the PSAC quarterfinals) following three seasons as an assistant coach.

The Warriors have made five PSAC Final Four trips (1985-86, 1994-95, 2007) and won their only PSAC championship in 1995.

West Chester has reached the Final Four in 16 of the 36 PSAC women's basketball championships but is seeking its first-ever conference title. WCU was last year's runner-up, falling to eventual NCAA Division II champion California in the PSAC championship game.

Howard leads ESU in both scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg) while posting eight double-doubles. She has eclipsed the 900-point mark (939) and 500-rebound mark (506) for her career this season. She ranks 10th in the PSAC in scoring and 11th in rebounding, while becoming just the second ESU player with 400+ points (425) and 200 + rebounds (210) in a season in the last 20 years.

Brown has emerged as the second-leading scorer (11.9 ppg) while coming off the bench in her last 24 games (scoring 10+ points 15 times). She has three 20+ point games, including Saturday vs. Bloomsburg and 28 in a 74-73 win vs. No. 13-ranked California on January 3.

Reviere had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win vs. Bloomsburg and is averaging career-highs with 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in her second season as a starter. She ranks seventh in the PSAC in assists and sixth in steals (2.0 per game) while leading ESU with 32.6 minutes per game. She played 44 of the 45 minutes vs. Bloom.

Rutkowski joins Howard in the frontcourt, where she is averaging 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and a PSAC-leading 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field.

Falkowski (6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg) and senior guard Melissa Poderis (5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, in her third year as a starter, join Revier at the starting guard spots. Poderis ranks 10th at ESU with 242 career assists.

Senior center Michelle Boggs has started 15 games, posting 5.0 points, 5.6 rebounds (2nd on team) and 1.4 blocks (9th in PSAC). She has 103 career blocks, fifth in school history.

Freshman guard Noelle Powell (4.5 ppg) and junior forward Madison Tamburini (4.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg) are also key contributors off the bench as the Warriors have maintained a nine-player rotation through most of the second half of the season.

West Chester is led by its All-PSAC East senior backcourt of Brittany Sicinski and Dallas Ely, both 1,500-point scorers in their careers for the Golden Rams.

Sicinski is sixth in the PSAC in scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg) and 10th in steals (1.8 spg), shooting 48.6 percent from the field.

Ely (13.6 ppg) is the threat from behind the arc, with 47 made three-pointers this season. She is averaging 3.9 assists and both pull down more than five rebounds per game.

Kendall Benovy (11.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Anna Kuntz (10.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg) are the leaders in the frontcourt and give WCU four double-figure scorers.

West Chester is the top scoring team in the PSAC, averaging 74.6 points per game and ranking fifth in field goal percentage (42.2).

ESU is third in field goal percentage defense (37.5) and the PSAC's top shot blocking team (5.2 per game), ranking 11th in DII with Rutkowski and Boggs contributing nearly four per game.

Both teams rank in the top six in the PSAC in turnover margin with WCU holding a +3.6 advantage on the glass.

The winner heads to western Pennsylvania for the PSAC Final Four, which will be held at the West division's top remaining seed - likely No. 1 California or No. 2 IUP.

Men's Game

The Warriors advanced to the PSAC quarterfinals with an 82-59 win vs. Lock Haven on Saturday, improving to 9-2 in home postseason games in the last seven years at Koehler Fieldhouse.

ESU has won seven straight and 14 of the last 16 meetings vs. West Chester since the start of the 2009-10 season, which coincides with the Warriors' six straight PSAC Final Four appearances.

The Warriors have won five straight and seven of their last eight at Hollinger Field House, including an 87-60 victory on January 9.

ESU won the 2012 PSAC championship at Hollinger, 90-85, and upended WCU 92-80 in the 2014 PSAC championship game at Koehler.

The Warriors are 11-4 in PSAC Tournament games since 2010, including a 3-1 mark in road games. This is ESU's first true road game in the tournament since the 2012 PSAC final at WCU.

The men's PSAC Final Four will be held in the east this year, with No. 1 seed Kutztown (21-5) hosting No. 4 Shippensburg (19-8) for the opportunity to host the semifinals and final on March 5-6. If Kutztown falters, the ESU-West Chester winner would host on its campus.

ESU has secured its 10th 20-win season in program history and fifth in the last seven years, including two wins vs. West Chester this winter - the road win on January 9 and an 88-83 win on February 10 at Koehler Fieldhouse.

Head coach Jeff Wilson (253-145), in his 14th season, has led the Warriors to two PSAC championships (2012, 2014) and four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six years (2010, 13-15), including the Sweet 16 in 2015.

The Warriors are the PSAC leaders in scoring (88.6 ppg), assists (18.5) and steals (10.2), continuing their pressing, 90-foot, 40-minute style that has made them one of the DII leaders in all three categories. ESU ranks 11th in DII in scoring, fifth in assists and third in steals while ranking second in the PSAC and 15th nationally in turnover margin (+3.9).

ESU has three career 1,000-point scorers in junior forward Rasheed Moore (1,146), senior guard Jamal Nwaniemeka (1,110 - 1,099 at ESU) and redshirt senior guard Will Brown (1,073).

Moore ranks 25th in the PSAC in scoring (13.3 ppg), Nwaniemeka 29th (12.6 ppg) and Brown 34th (11.9 ppg) as the Warriors regularly play 13 in their rotation.

Moore, two-time All-PSAC East second team and this year's Lehigh Valley Small College Player of the Year, has put together another efficient season while ranking second on the Warriors with 26.7 minutes per game. He is the fourth ESU player to score 1,000 career points as a junior, joining the top three scorers in program history. He has 11 career double-doubles, including five this season.

Nwaniemeka, who joined Moore on the preseason All-PSAC East team, was the 2014 PSAC Tournament MVP with 27 points vs. West Chester in the championship game and is in his third postseason with the Warriors. He has scored 1,099 points in 87 games, including 84 starts, and ranks fifth in school history with 154 career three-pointers. He leads ESU in minutes (28.9), ranks third in steals (33), second in blocks (13) and third in assists (58) while shooting 38.3 percent from the three-point line.

Brown is a sixth-year senior and first-year starter in the backcourt. The Warriors' top bench scorer in 2011, 2014 and 2015, he has poured in 1,073 points in 111 games for ESU, including 11 postseason games. He ranks third in school history in career three's (219), shooting 39.7 percent from long distance, including 40.9 percent this season. He is averaging career-bests across the board, including minutes (24.7) and steals (39).

Junior forward Steve Harris (9.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg) is sixth in the PSAC in rebounding and teams with Moore to give ESU perhaps the best frontcourt in the PSAC East. He is shooting 60.4 percent with a team-high 21 blocks and has seven double-doubles in his second season as a starter.

Freshman guard Najee Walls is the PSAC's assist leader (5.4 per game), ranking 25th in DII and third among DII freshmen, while playing 25.4 minutes per night (3rd on the team). He has set ESU's freshman assist record (141) and has 39 steals, tied with Brown for the team lead. He is averaging 7.7 points per game, including a season-high 16 in last week's 80-75 win at Millersville.

Sophomore guard Ryan Krawczeniuk, a high school teammate of Moore and transfer from Mansfield, is contributing 12.1 minutes as the backup point guard with 3.7 points and 3.1 assists per game, including a season-high eight vs. Lock Haven on Saturday.

Redshirt junior guard Quindell Brice (9.4 ppg) and freshman guard Nick Giordano (6.4 ppg) are the top two scorers off the bench, with Brice hitting double-figures 14 times and Giordano seven times. Giordano scored 20 with a 6-for-7 mark from the three-point line on February 20 vs. Lock Haven and is 33-for-69 from long distance (47.8 percent).

Senior forward Wes Cherry (5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 30 steals) has played 14.1 minutes per game, and redshirt freshman forward Chris Bing (4.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg), junior forward Sultan Aminu (3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and senior forward Dajon Todmann (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg) have all contributed in the frontcourt. Redshirt sophomore Steven Stoney is posting 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds as a backup guard.

West Chester - 21-3 outside of its two meetings vs. ESU - fell 81-77 at Kutztown last Wednesday in the de facto PSAC East regular season title game to fall into the No. 2 seed.

The Golden Rams have three double-figure scorers led by guard Malik Jackson (15.7 ppg), ninth in the PSAC overall and the top-scoring freshman in the conference. Jackson leads the PSAC with 2.7 three-pointers per game, going 68-for-181 from behind the arc.

Forward Matt Wiseley (12.2 ppg, 11.1 rpg) leads the Golden Rams in steals (43) and ranks second in assists (49) while playing 32 minutes per game.

Guards Avery Brown (10.7 ppg) and Mike Wilson (9.9 ppg) are both shooting nearly 40 percent from the three-point line.

Freshman Matt Penecale (9.5 ppg, 5.1 apg) has had an impressive first season as the point guard.

Both teams rank among the PSAC leaders in a host of categories, notably scoring (ESU 1st with 88.6 ppg, WCU 3rd with 81.8 ppg) and three-pointers per game (WCU 2nd, ESU 3rd - both at 8.3 per game).

They also rank first (ESU, 10.2) and second (WCU, 9.0) in steals per game.

ESU holds the edge in turnover margin, ranking second in the PSAC (+3.9), while WCU is first in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+9.3) with ESU sixth (+3.2).
 
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