East Stroudsburg Wins Fourth PSAC Men's Basketball Title
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. --- East Stroudsburg was crowned the 2018 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Champions after defeating Gannon, 89-67, at Koehler Fieldhouse Sunday evening in East Stroudsburg, Pa.
The Warriors led wire-to-wire and climbed to 24-5 with the victory, earning the PSAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA DII Men’s Basketball Tournament. ESU won its fourth championship in school history and its third in the last seven years.
Senior Steve Harris scored his 1000th point late in the second half and was named the Most Valuable Player for the tournament. Harris tallied 11 points and nine rebounds in the title game.
ESU’s 22-point victory is the fifth largest margin of victory in a title game since 1961. The Warriors outscored their final two opponents by 45 points, marking the third-highest margin since 1981.
ESU knocked down 10 triples while GU was only able to hit two.
The Golden Knights fell to 22-9 despite a 25-point effort from Jair Green.
GU’s Evan Phoenix produced a double-double with 13 point and 14 rebounds.
ESU had six players with nine points or more while Harris paced the team with 11 rebounds.
The NCAA DII Selection Show will take place at 10:30 PM Sunday.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Steve Harris, East Stroudsburg
FINALS - March 4 (at East Stroudsburg)
No. 1 (E) East Stroudsburg 89, No. 2 (W) Gannon 67
Box Score
ESU Recap
GU Recap
SEMIFINALS - March 3 (at East Stroudsburg)
No. 2 (W) Gannon 81, No. 3 (E) Shippensburg 70
Box Score
GU Recap
SU Recap
No. 1 (E) East Stroudsburg 98, No. 4 (W) Edinboro 75
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ESU Recap
EU Recap
QUARTERFINAL - February 28
No. 4 (W) Edinboro 79, No. 1 (W) IUP 63
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EU Recap
IUP Recap
No. 3 (E) Shippensburg 87, No. 2 (E) West Chester 79
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SU Recap
WCU Recap
No. 1 (E) East Stroudsburg 85, No. 4 (E) Kutztown 71
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ESU Recap
KU Recap
No. 2 (W) Gannon 77, No. 3 (W) Slippery Rock 70
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GU Recap
SRU Recap
1ST ROUND - February 26
No. 4 (W) Edinboro 77, No. 5 (W) Pitt-Johnstown 67
Box Score
EU Recap
UPJ Recap
No. 3 (E) Shippensburg 94, No. 6 (E) Millersville 67
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SU Recap
MU recap
No. 3 (W) Slippery Rock 61, No. 6 (W) Mercyhurst 58
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SRU Recap
MU Recap
No. 4 (E) Kutztown 93, No. 5 (E) Bloomsburg 79
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KU Recap
BU Recap
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The 2018 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament 12-team field has been set following the conclusion of the regular season Saturday.
The top six teams from each division earned an opportunity to win the PSAC Men’s Basketball Championship while the top two teams from each division earned a first-round bye.
The highest remaining seed from the East will host the semifinals and finals.
East Stroudsburg earned the No. 1 seed in the East and sports the most prolific offense in the league while averaging 93.8 points per contest. The Warriors enter the postseason with an overall record of 21-5. ESU senior Steve Harris has been lights out offensively while pacing the PSAC in field goal percentage (66.7) while teammate Jakwan Jones is sixth in free throw percentage (86.3). Coach Jeff Wilson’s squad has posted 10 games of scoring 100 points or more.
ESU will host the winner of Kutztown and Bloomsburg on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 PM.
West Chester garnered the No. 2 seed after going 21-5 in the regular season and sit third in scoring average (86.5). The Golden Rams’ Tyrell Long has been impressive all season while shooting 55% from the field. WCU’s defense is seventh the league, allowing 74.5 points per game.
WCU will welcome the winner of Shippensburg and Millersville at 7:30 PM Wednesday, Feb. 28.
SU grabbed the No. 3 seed and looks to repeat as PSAC Champions after defeating KU in the title game last season. SU’s Dustin Sleva has produced a fantastic senior season while averaging 21.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The Raiders enter the postseason at 21-6 while allowing only 70.1 points per game.
SU will host MU at 7 PM on Monday, Feb. 26.
MU swiped the No. 6 seed with a 10-18 record while Marcus Adkison leads the team with 18.8 points per game. Adkison is fourth in the PSAC in three-point percentage (41.9).
KU claimed the No. 4 seed and will rely on Anthony Lee to spark the offense. Lee is third in the league in points per game (21.5) while leading the conference in three-point percentage (50.3). Coach Bernie Driscoll’s squad leads the league in shooting percentage (49.0) and averages 39.5 rebounds per game. The Golden Bears will welcome BU for a first-round contest Monday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 PM.
BU holds the No. 5 seed while senior Christian Mortellite is the offensive leader at 20.8 points per game. The Huskies are solid from the charity stripe while knocking down 74.1 percent of their attempts. BU has won four of its last six.
In the West, IUP sports the No. 1 seed after producing a 22-7 regular season. The Crimson Hawks lead the conference in three-point percentage (38.6) and three-point defense (31.0). Anthony Glover leads the team in scoring (20.1) while Jacobo Diaz grabs 9.7 boards per game. Coach Joe Lombardi’s squad has claimed victory in 11 of their last 13 games.
IUP will host the winner of Pitt-Johnstown and Edinboro Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 PM.
Gannon earned the No. 2 seed while Evan Phoenix paced the team in rebounds (8.6). The Golden Knights boast the No. 1 defense in the PSAC, allowing a lowly 64.4 points per game. GU allows only 29.1 defensive rebounds a game. Phoenix will pace the offense after connecting on 53 percent of his shots during the regular season.
GU will host the winner of Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 PM.
SRU claimed the No. 3 slot and will lean on Micah Till throughout the postseason. Till averaged 21 points and a league-high 12.1 rebounds. Till is the only PSAC athlete with more than 300 rebounds on the season. Coach Kevin Reynolds defense holds strong against the deep ball while allowing opponents to shoot a measly 31.5 percent.
The Rock welcomes Mercyhurst at 7 PM Monday, Feb. 26.
Mercyhurst swiped the No. 6 seed and have the second stingiest defense in the PSAC while allowing only 65.7 points per game. The Lakers will be led by Lorezno Collier, who averaged 16.3 points per game.
EU earned the No. 4 seed while Keshawn Liggins led the conference in scoring (23.9). Liggins is third in rebounding (10.9) while his teammate Jaymon Mason broke EU’s all-time scoring record in the Fighting Scots season finale. Coach Pat Cleary’s team is effective from the charity stripe while knocking down 78.3 percent.
The Fighting Scots welcome UPJ Monday, Feb. 26 at 7 PM.
UPJ claimed the No. 5 seed and shoot 48.4% from the field collectively. Isaac Vescovi sits sixth in the PSAC in scoring at a 21.0 clip. The Mountain Cats have won five of their last six.
The tournament winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA DII Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Monday, February 26 - 1st Round
No. 5 (West) Pitt-Johnstown at No. 4 (West) Edinboro - 7 PM
No. 6 (East) Millersville at No. 3 (East) Shippensburg - 7 PM
No. 6 (West) Mercyhurst at No. 3 (West) Slippery Rock - 7 PM
No. 5 (East) Bloomsburg at No. 4 (East) Kutztown - 7:30 PM
Wednesday, February 28 - Quarterfinals
Winner of EU/UPJ at No. 1 (West) IUP - 7:30 PM
Winner of SHIP/VILL at No. 2 (East) West Chester - 7:30 PM
Winner of KU/BU at No. 1 (East) East Stroudsburg - 7:30 PM
Winner of SRU/MERCY at No. 2 (West) Gannon) - 7:30 PM
*Semifinal Bracket Switch
- In the semifinals, the highest remaining seed from host division will play the lowest remaining seed from the
opposite division. This may require a change of
opponents from the original bracket
Saturday, March 3 - Semifinals (Top remaining East Seed will host)
Semifinal 1 will be at 1 p.m.
Semifinal 2 will be at 3:30 p.m. (Top remaining East seed)
Sunday, March 4 - Final
SF 1 Winner vs. SF 2 Winner - TBA