Johnson set career-highs in both points and rebounds for his first career double-double and did most of his work in the first half, putting up 13 points and eight boards as the Warriors led 38-29 at intermission. Edinboro never got closer than eight points the rest of the way as ESU (3-1) won its 24th consecutive non-conference home game, a streak that extends back to November 2007.
Tobin’s double-double was the first of the season and fourth of his career for the Warriors’ top returning scorer and rebounder from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. He also scored in double figures for the first time this year; ESU was 14-1 when he netted 10+ points a year ago.
Junior guard Russell Graham III had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, junior forward Eric Bryan had a career-high 11 points and seven rebounds and sophomore forward Marcus Brown added 10 points and seven boards.
ESU worked over the Fighting Scots on the backboards, particularly the offensive glass. The Warriors held a 23-14 advantage in offensive boards and a 56-40 margin overall. Tobin and Brown both had five offensive rebounds.
Cory Somerville led Edinboro (3-2) with a game-high 23 points, going 9-for-13 from the field but just 5-for-12 at the foul line. Byron Knight had 15 points and seven rebounds and Anthony Lytle posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards, but the rest of the Fighting Scots had just 18 points on the evening.
ESU’s rebounding advantage, along with an 18-14 edge in turnovers and Edinboro’s 10-for-22 performance at the foul line, all helped the Warriors earn their fifth straight win over their PSAC Western division rivals. ESU won 81-73 at Edinboro last January to complete a 13-0 start to the regular season.
ESU used three big spurts to pull away from Edinboro, which led 11-6 early and last held an advantage with eight minutes left in the first half. Sophomore guard Blair Ramsey sparked an 8-0 run with four points and two steals to give the Warriors a 26-20 advantage. Graham, Brown and Johnson all scored in a 7-0 run late in the half that extended the lead to 13 points, and the Warriors put together a 13-3 run to push the advantage to 19 early in the second half led by five points from Brown and a three-point play by Bryan.
Edinboro trimmed the lead back down to single digits by the 14-minute mark keyed by seven points by Somerville, but the Warriors withstood the run and Johnson’s three-pointer with 8:52 left, his third of the game, made the margin more comfortable at 66-51.
ESU put together another burst after Edinboro got within 71-63 with six minutes remaining, embarking on a 10-1 run sparked by a long jumper by senior guard Mike DeMarco (nine points, 4-for-6 shooting) and a tip-in by Tobin.
The Warriors will be back on the floor in the weekend’s final game on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. as they take on Felician (2-3), which also played in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Felician pulled away from Shippensburg for a 70-59 win on Friday led by Suquan Gary (18 points, eight rebounds), Devon Young (15 points, seven rebounds) and Kashiff Foster (12 points, six rebounds). Shippensburg put four players in double figures, paced by Craig Van Scyoc (15 points, nine rebounds) and Dylan Edgar (11 points, 14 boards).
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