JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- Sophomore guard Jamal Nwaniemeka scored 20 points and junior guard Matt Tobin had nine points and 13 assists, the most by a Warrior in at least a dozen years, as No. 10-ranked East Stroudsburg won its program-record 14th consecutive game to open the 2013-14 season with a 81-68 victory at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday night.
Junior guard Whis Grant scored 15 points, freshman forward Rasheed Moore had 13 points and six rebounds, redshirt junior guard Will Brown scored eight points and junior forward Lamont Tillery had seven points and six boards in a well-rounded effort for the Warriors.
ESU hit 12 3-pointers, including three from Nwaniemeka in less than 90 seconds early in the second half, as the Warriors surpassed their 2009-10 team which opened with a 13-0 mark.
ESU also matched a school single-season record with its 14 consecutive win, equaling the efforts of its teams in 2012-13 and 1940-41. The Warriors host Shippensburg with an opportunity for their 15th consecutive win on Saturday.
Tobin's 13 assists are the most by an ESU player in 12 seasons under head coach Jeff Wilson. Robby Pines had 12 assists against West Chester in 2009-10, and Anthony Ross had 12 in a triple-overtime game at California in 2004-05.
No. 4 Florida Southern 84, Eckerd 55
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Florida Southern closed out its season-long five-game homestand Wednesday evening by collecting an 84-55 victory against Eckerd in Sunshine State Conference play in front of a season-high crowd of 1,388 fans at Jenkins Field House.
Wednesday's victory improved the Moccasins to 14-0 on the season and ran its SSC record to 3-0. The victory also extended its home court win streak to 13 consecutive games and ran its win streak in SSC play to five consecutive games dating to last season.
The 14-0 start by the Mocs is the best for the team since the 2002-03 squad opened the season by winning its first 16 games en route to finishing with a 26-5 overall. The 14-0 start is the sixth in school history.
In Wednesday's game, the Mocs got off to a strong start on the offensive end of the floor and then used an outstanding defensive effort to cruise past the Tritons and remain the only undefeated team left in SSC play. Eckerd fell to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in the SSC with the loss.
Eckerd's 55 points scored were the fewest points allowed by the Mocs this season in a game. Prior to Eckerd's 55, the previous low was 57 points scored by Benedict on Nov. 21. In addition, the 55 points were a season low for the Tritons.
No. 6 Indiana (Pa.) 63, Bloomsburg 53
INDIANA, Pa. -- For the second time in as many games, Indiana (Pa.) posted another second-half surge to knock down its opponent, this time defeating Bloomsburg 63-53.
Led by Jeremy Jeffers' 14 points, the Crimson Hawks shot 55 percent from the floor in the second half, on their way to their 13th consecutive win of the season.
The game was close from the start with neither team taking more than a four-point advantage through 10 minutes of play.
Up by three with 9:40 to go in the half, Jeffers sank a layup, continuing a 9-0 run that would give the Crimson Hawks the eventual seven-point lead.
Bloomsburg rallied, as Lorenzo Christmas drained a 3-pointer with just more than two minutes remaining, cutting the IUP lead to two. The two teams exchanged baskets and the Crimson Hawks took a three-point lead into the break.
The Huskies came out strong in the second half, sinking a layup and a 3-pointer to take the two-point advantage. They carried that momentum through the first four minutes of the half, getting up by as much as seven.
The Crimson Hawks, however, showed their resilience, going on a 7-2 run, led by Mathis Keita, to cut the Huskies' lead to two. Bloomsburg would again begin to pull away, going up by six with 11:23 remaining.
The nation's sixth-ranked team showed their dominance from there on out, going on a 23-7 run that would give them the 10-point advantage.
No. 9 Tarleton State 80, Angelo State 54
STEPHENVILLE, Texas -- Tarleton State's Chuck Guy scored 24 points and Tashawn Mabry added 13 points off the bench to guide the Texans to an 80-54 win against Angelo State in Lone Star Conference play Wednesday night at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.
The Texans (12-0, 1-0 LSC) trailed by as many as 13 points midway through the first period before going on a 21-10 run to close out the half. Tarleton then cruised to its 12th consecutive win to start the season, outscoring the Rams (10-3, 0-1 LSC) 42-18 in the second half en route to the 26-point win.
The Texans opened the game making just one of its first nine shots from the field, but then followed it up with an 11-for-19 effort to finish the first-half shooting 42.9 percent from the floor. ASU started the game just 3-for-11 from the field, but then used a 6-for-9 effort to push its lead to 13 points.
The Rams would then make just two of its last 11 shots of the first half and continued its cold shooting in the second half with a 7-for-27 effort.
