King Powers Balanced Warriors to 70-50 Victory vs. Lock Haven

EAST STROUDSBURG – Sophomore forward Terrance King had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to lead a balanced East Stroudsburg University offense as the Warriors improved to 5-1 with a 70-50 win over Lock Haven on Wednesday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.

Last year’s PSAC East Freshman of the Year, King set season-highs in all three categories and recorded his second career double-double. He shot 5-for-8 from the field and 6-for-8 at the foul line while playing 21 minutes.

King was the only Warrior to score more than seven points as 12 members of the 14-man roster got in the scoring column. Seven players scored between four and seven points and eight Warriors played at least 15 minutes.

Anthony Baker, a high school teammate of King at East Stroudsburg North, scored all nine of his points in the first half for Lock Haven. Baker is the reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Week after scoring 48 points in two games last week for the Bald Eagles. David Blackwell led Lock Haven (1-6) with 11 points.

ESU led 30-20 at halftime after pulling away from a 16-14 lead over the final eight minutes of the first half. King had 10 points and six rebounds in the opening half, including six points in the last eight minutes, and sophomore forward Marcus Brown and sophomore guard Gerald Bridges, Jr. hit three-pointers to give the Warriors breathing room.  In the second half, ESU extended a 12-point lead (41-29) to 60-36, its largest of the game, with five minutes left.

The Warriors forced 25 turnovers, recorded 12 steals and turned the ball over just 12 times. They earned a 14-8 advantage in turnovers in the first half and gave the ball up only four times in the second half. ESU also had 17 offensive rebounds and shot 17-for-26 at the foul line, compared to 6-for-13 for Lock Haven.

Junior point guard Russell Graham III had six points, four rebounds and five assists and senior guard Micah Covert and junior forward Eric Bryan scored seven points each. Senior forward Mike Tobin chipped in with six points and Marcus Brown and freshman guard Will Brown both scored five points.

The Warriors extended their home non-conference winning streak to 26 games and head coach Jeff Wilson earned his 130th career win in nine seasons, moving within three victories of Sal Mentesana for third in school history. Wilson was an assistant coach under Mentesana for all 133 of his wins, from 1987-96, and also assisted Mentesana for six years at Lehigh University.

ESU will be away from action until late December with an appearance in the prestigious Porreco Cup tournament at Gannon. The Warriors take on Wayne State (Mich.) in the first round on December 29 and face either Gannon or Seton Hill in the consolation or championship game on December 30.