EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The No. 10 East Stroudsburg men's basketball team used 27 Gannon turnovers to create a 30-12 edge in points off turnovers en route to a 75-60 victory Friday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action.
East Stroudsburg, one of 15 undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division II, extended its home non-conference win streak to 37 games and can now match the best start in school history with a victory Saturday afternoon against Clarion. The Warriors won the 2012 PSAC Championship and have played in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments.
The opening 10 minutes was a classic battle as Gannon and East Stroudsburg slugged it out through three lead changes and three ties.
Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) scored the Golden Knights' first seven points as Gannon held a three-point lead twice during the opening 99 seconds.
Three straight points from
Tee Talley (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) with a lay-up and a free throw gave Gannon its final lead of the afternoon at 13-11 with 12:35 remaining in the first half.
East Stroudsburg substituted four players after the Talley free throw and proceeded to rattle off 19 consecutive points to assume control. The Warriors held the Golden Knights scoreless for 7:16 and without a field goal for 8:51 during the decisive run. The slate included an 0-of-5 shooting chart with nine turnovers. The Golden Knights had turnovers during seven straight possessions from the 11:44 mark until there was 7:03 left in the half.
The home squad opened the second half with eight consecutive points, capped by Whis Grant's three-pointer 2:12 into the final stanza to assume its biggest lead of the afternoon at 47-25.
Gannon never folded and clawed within 59-51 after a 16-5 run midway through the second half. Thomas-Edwards and
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) tallied five points each during the run.
Brandon Emmitt's (Akron, Ohio/Akron Garfield) lay-up capped the rally with 8:18 to play. The Golden Knights forced five turnovers during the run that lasted four minutes and 42 seconds.
John T. Reilly's club hovered within striking distance over the next six minutes until East Stroudsburg iced the victory with eight straight points in the final 99 seconds. The mini-run increased a 67-58 advantage to 75-58 before two
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) free throws with 12 ticks left capped the scoring.
Thomas-Edwards and Blazek led the Gannon offensive unit with 17 points each. Thomas-Edwards finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. The junior has scored 36 points and grabbed 17 rebounds during the last two games after recording 57 points and 41 rebounds during the first 10 contests. Blazek netted 17 points while playing every minute for the second consecutive game.
Gannon shot 40 percent (20-50) from the field, 25 percent (3-12) from three-point range and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights out-rebounded the Warriors 41-23, finishing with more offensive rebounds (18) than ESU's total rebounds. Gannon has out-rebounded all 12 opponents this season.
Jamal Nwaniemeka topped all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting after entering the game with an 11.2 scoring average. Rasheed Moore and Matt Tobin added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Grant added 10 markers off the bench.
East Stroudsburg shot 45.8 percent (27-59) from the floor, including a 52-percent (13-25) clip in the second half. The Warriors hit 32.1 percent (9-28) of their shots from behind the arc and 80 percent (12-15) from the charity stripe.
Gannon saw its record evened at 6-6. East Stroudsburg remained undefeated at 12-0 with its fifth consecutive victory in the all-time series after dropping the first seven. The Golden Knights complete a two-game PSAC crossover road swing Saturday, January 4 at West Chester. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
