The Game Stories
-Edinboro saw its three-game winning streak come to an end last Saturday with an 74-62 loss at Millersville.  The Fighting Scots played short-handed, with Alex moore missing his third game due to an injury and Johnathan Logan sitting out the contest with the flu.  Several others were impacted by illness, as well, as the Scots fell to 8-3 overall and 4-3 in the PSAC West.    

-Edinboro opened the season with three straight games at McComb Fieldhouse, then played their next three games on the road.   The Fighting Scots concluded another three-game homestand to end 2012.  After the two-game PSAC crossover swing to Shippensburg and Millersville, the Fighting Scots now return return home for three games.  It begins with the final set of PSAC crossover games, hosting Kutztown on Friday, January 11 and East Stroudsburg on Saturday, January 12.  Edinboro then hosts Gannon on January 16.  East Stroudsburg plays at Slippery Rock on Friday before heading up I-79 to face the Scots.

-Head coach Greg Walcavich is in his 24th season in charge of the Fighting Scots, showing a 420-244 record.  Including stints at Birmingham Southern and West Virginia Wesleyan he is 574-307 overall as he is in his 31st season as a head coach. 

-Edinboro was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West.  Kutztown, which tied for first during the regular season a year ago, was picked fourth in the Eastern Division preseason poll.  East Stroudsburg, the defending PSAC champion, was picked first.

-The Fighting Scots have won four of six games against the Eastern Division, winning at Mansfield and Bloomsburg, before losing to Cheyney and defeating West Chester at McComb Fieldhouse.  Last weekend the Fighting Scots won at Shippensburg (82-74) before falling the next day at Millersville.  

Scouting Kutztown
-Kutztown comes to Edinboro in the throws of a three-game losing streak.  The Golden Bears have been one of the top teams in the PSAC East, including an 18-9 record a year ago.  A young team with five freshmen and three sophomores has struggled this year, opening the year with a pair of losses before defeating Wilmington(De.).  That was followed by four more losses, including defeats at Gannon and at Mercyhurst, before a 68-63 win at Shippensburg.  The Golden Bears also own a 77-64 win over Lock Haven.  A year ago Kutztown led the PSAC in scoring at 83.0 ppg.  This year that figure is down to 70.1 ppg.  Micah Fraction, a 5'9” senior, is the leading scorer at 16.9 ppg.  A second team All-PSAC East selection a year ago, he has made 19 of 67 three-pointers while also leading the team in assists (53).  He is also a frequent visitor at the free throw line, makinf 61 of 76 (80.3 pct.).  Tyler Brooks and Tracy Peal are also scoring in double figures at 12.3 and 10.0 ppg., respectively.  Brooks, a 6'5” junior guard, is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game, 22 steals and 11 blocked shots.  Peal is a 6'6”, 235 lb. freshman who adds 5.8 rpg.  Ryan Connolly, a 6'6” swingman who was named the PSAC Freshman of the Week earlier this week, adds 8.2 ppg. and 4.8 rpg.               

The Edinboro-Kutztown Series

-Edinboro leads 13-4
Edinboro looks to snap a a three-game losing streak to Kutztown, with the last two coming at McComb Fieldhouse.  The last four meetings have featured plenty of points, with each team scoring at least in the 80's. 
 
The Last Meeting

January 6, 2012 --  Kutztown 104, Edinboro 84 
Four players combined for 95 points as the visiting Golden Bears claimed the high-scoring affair.  It marked the first time Edinboro had allowed 100 points at home since the final game of the 1996-97 campaign.  Nate Edwards led Kutztown with 29 points, with Micah Fraction adding 28 points and Devon McBride finished with 25 markers.  Eric Brennan chipped in with 13 points and a team-high nine reboundsClint Nicholson paced the Fighting Scots with 24 points and nine rebounds, with Bryan Theriot adding 20 points and nine boards.  Cory Somerville added 12 points.  The Golden Bears shot a sizzling 64.3 percent in the first half to jump out to a 65-44 lead at the half, and would end up shooting 55.6 percent for the game.  They made 12 of 20 three-pointers, and also held a 43-31 advantage on the glass.    

Scouting East Stroudsburg
-The preseason favorite in the PSAC East following a 20-12 finish a year ago, the Warriors have not disappointed.  Coach Jeff Wilson's team is off to a 9-2 start and is riding a three-game winning streak.  The Warriors' lone losses have come to Lock Haven and the University of the Sciences.  Wilson's teams have always featured balance, depth and defense, and that is the case this year, as well.  The Warriors lead the PSAC in turnover margin at +4.82, and are sixth in scoring defense at 65.7 ppg.  They have held the last four opponents to under 70 points, and during their three-game winning streak they are allowing just 56.0 ppg.  Duane Johnson, a 6'7” senior and a 2011-12 first team All-PSAC East selection, is the team's leading scorer at 14.5 ppg., adding 5.7 rpg.  Whis Grant, a 6'0” sophomore, is not far behind at 14.3 ppg.  He has made 22 of 50 three-pointers and has a team-leading 21 steals.  Terrance King, who was named the PSAC?East Player of the Week earlier this week for his play against IUP and California(Pa.), comes in at 13.5 ppg. and a team-high 6.9 rpg.  The 6'6”, 230 lb. senior forward is shooting 60.4 percent from the floor and was a second team All-PSAC East choice last year.                     

The Edinboro-East Stroudsburg Series

-Edinboro leads 9-6
Edinboro claimed a 90-84 win over the Warriors a year ago.  that snapped a fiev-game losing streak to the Warriors, as the Fighting Scots had not won since a 77-69 decision in 2005-06.    
 
The Last Meeting

January 7, 2012 --  Edinboro 90, East Stroudsburg 84 
One day after falling to Kutztown, Edinboro outscored East Stroudsburg, 55-48, in the second half to defeat the Warriors.  Runs of 10-2 and 9-1 made the difference, along with shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and holding ESU to 43.8 percent.  The Fighting Scots also held a huge advantage from the line, making 26 of 38 free throws compared to 12 of 19 for the Warriors.  edinboro also won the battle of the boards, 43-37.  Bryan Theriot turned in a huge game, as the 6'9” center had 26 points and 14 rebounds.  Clint Nicholson added 19 points and Cory Somerville had 16.  Jay Fletcher contributed 11 points, seven asssist and five rebounds.  Whis Grant paced ESU with 19 points, with Russell Graham III scoring 15 points, Gerald Bridges Jr. 14, and Duane Johnson showing 10 points and 10 rebounds.      
 
The Coaches

Greg Walcavich, Edinboro -- is in his 24th season at the helm of the Fighting Scots and his 31st overall as a head coach.  He has a 420-244 record at Edinboro and is 574-308 overall.  Walcavich has also previously served as the head coach at Birmingham Southern and West Virginia Wesleyan. (For an indepth bio see page 8) 

Bernie Driscoll, Kutztown  -- is in his 13th year as head coach of the Golden Bears and owns a 202-149 career record.  Driscoll guided Kutztown to its fourth PSAC Eastern Division regular season championship in 2012.  It was the program's third title in the past five years.  KU finished 18-9 overall and 15-7 in conference play.  The 15 PSAC victories were the most in school history.   In the 2009-10 season, Driscoll guided the Golden Bears to a 23-8 record, marking the first time in school history the team had back-to-back 20 win seasons.  The team was ranked in every single poll and reached a school-best No. 2 on January 19th. The Golden Bears finished runner-up in the PSAC Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Regionals.  The year before Driscoll was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, led the Golden Bears to the PSAC final and the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region final. With 28 wins, the Golden Bears won more games than any other team in school history. 

Jeff Wilson, East Stroudsburg  -- a 1986 East Stroudsburg graduate and now in his 11th season at East Stroudsburg, Wilson has enjoyed great success with his alma mater.  He stands second in career victories with a 170-122 ledger, leading ESU to six PSAC playoff appearances in seven years, along with NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2012.  Wilson has led the Warriors to three straight PSAC Final Fours, and won the second PSAC championship in school history last year.  They have won at least 16 games each of the last seven seasons.    
     

The Last Time Out

Millersville 74, Edinboro 62 -- last Saturday, the short-handed Fighting Scots saw their three-game winning streak come to an end as they fell down the stretch at Millersville.  The Marauders led just 52-50 with 7:47 to play before going on a 10-0 run to pull away.  Edinboro held Millersville to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor, but the Scots were just 33.9 percent themselves, and went just 2 of 11 from beyond the charity stripe.  Isaiah Prince paced the Boro with 19 points.  Bryan Theriot had his sixth double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while playing just 24 minutes.  Jay Fletcher was also in double figures with 10 points.        

Indiana(Pa.) 70, Kutztown 62  -- the Golden Bears lost their third straight game last Saturday with the setback at home.  Abdul King paced four players in double figures, with Abdul King leading the way with 20 points, making 9 of 11 free throws.  Ryan Connolly finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony Butler chipped in with 11 points.  Tracy Peal totaled 10 points.  Kutztown lost despite making 18 of 27 free throws, compared to 5 of 8 for IUP, and outrebounding the Crimson Hawks, 31-27.  The Golden Bears werehurt by 15 turnovers.  

East Stroudsburg 70, California(Pa.) 62  -- the Warriors made it three straight wins with the home victory against Cal.  Eleven different players scored, with Terrance King leading the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds.  Gerald Bridges Jr. also recahed double figures with 14 points, making 4 of 5 three-pointers.  ESU forced the Vulcans into 24 turnovers, leading to 32 points, and held a 36-30 rebounding advantage.