BY JOHN REED
SC Contributing Writer
All-American guard Whis Grant led ESU with 31 points as the Warriors remained undefeated when they rolled to a 107-94 victory over West Chester on Saturday, January 25, at Hollinger Field House in West Chester, PA.
It was an impressive team performance, with five Warrior players scoring in double digits. Following Grant, freshman Rasheed Moore scored 24 points, while junior Matt Tobin registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists. Will Brown and Jamal Nwaniemeka added 11 and 10 points respectively.
ESU led 61-54 at the half by shooting an efficient sixty-three percent (22 for 35) from the field.
The Warriors 61 points at the break, and 107 total, are the most under coach Jeff Wilson.
Only eighteen games into the season, the Warriors have broken the century mark six times, a school record.
West Chester (12-6, 5-3) utilized a 17-3 run midway through the second half to capture the lead for the first time since the opening basket. Finding themselves down 91-85, the Warriors responded in kind and finished the game in dominating fashion.
Brown keyed the Warriors impressive rally by nailing a three-pointer and getting ESU’s offense back on track. Not to be outdone, Tobin contributed 4 points and 3 assists during the 22-3 run, while Moore poured in 10 of ESU’s final 22 points, scoring the last four to put the game out of reach for good.
ESU had a field goal percentage of fifty-one (37 for 72), but even more impressive was their consistency from behind the arc where they made fifty-three percent (9 for 17) of their attempts, with Grant nailing 5 of the Warriors 9 made three-pointers. ESU also shot over seventy percent (24 for 34) from the candy stripe.
Troy Hockaday scored 28 points to lead West Chester, followed by Shannon Givens’ 20 point effort. Ben Mingledough and Cory Blake had 15 and 11 points as well.
E-mail John at:
jreed18@live.esu.edu