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EAST STROUDSBURG – Freshman
Ryan Smith totaled 11 points and 13 rebounds, while freshman
Shamir Johnson added 10 points off the bench as East Stroudsburg University pulled away from Cheyney in the second half of a 79-49 victory at Koehler Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
The Warriors (1-2) outscored the Wolves (1-3) by a 52-28 margin after the intermission, and they forced Cheyney into 22 second-half turnovers. Six different ESU players contributed at least eight points in the win.
Cliff St. Juste paced the visitors with 22 points and four rebounds, with 14 of those points occurring in the first half.
The Warriors jumped out to an early 22-3 advantage in the contest, as Cheyney missed its first 17 shots from the floor. That margin, though, was down to 27-21 by halftime, as the Wolves hit eight of their final 14 attempts in the frame while taking advantage of 13 ESU turnovers.
Cheyney remained within striking distance midway through the second half, trailing 47-36 with 10:13 left in regulation, but a layup by senior
Jakwan Jones ignited a 13-0 Warrior run which put the game out of reach.
Jones totaled nine points, eight assists and five steals in the win, while junior
Michal Weiss supplied nine points and set career-highs in rebounds (9) and steals (3) in 20 minutes off the bench.
Junior
Montrel Morgan added nine points, and freshman
Ish Horn had eight points and three steals. The Warriors, who led Division II with 11.5 steals per game a year ago, had 18 steals as a group in the win, including 16 in the second half alone.
Smith, honored as the PSAC East Freshman of the Week on Monday, picked up his first collegiate double-double. Six of his 13 rebounds came on the offensive end, as he helped ESU outrebound Cheyney 54-41 overall.
Junior
Justin Migdol and freshman
Jacob Godfrey made their collegiate debuts in the closing minutes of the second half, with Migdol hitting a pair of shots from the free throw line with 1:09 remaining.
The Warriors earned their 20th straight win over the Wolves, and 17th year head coach
Jeff Wilson recorded his 299th career victory at his alma mater.
ESU returns to action next Tuesday, traveling to Felician for a non-conference matchup scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.