EAST STROUDSBURG Warriors (3-4, 1-1 PSAC East) at EDINBORO Fighting Scots (3-2, 1-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, December 8, 2018, 1:00 PM | McComb Fieldhouse | Edinboro, Pa.
LINKS: LIVE STATS | AUDIO-WFSE 88.9 l WATCH

ADDITIONAL LINKS
EDINBORO: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
EAST STROUDSBURG: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

The Game Story

• After a five-game road trip to start the 2018 campaign, Edinboro makes its home debut at McComb Fieldhouse as the Fighting Scots host East Stroudsburg in a PSAC crossover contest.
• The Fighting Scots opened conference play over the weekend against West Chester and Bloomsburg. Edinboro's contest with the Golden Rams was a rematch of last season's PSAC Tournament semifinals. Both teams got off to a slow start, as Edinboro led 11-10 after the first quarter. But the Fighting Scots, who entered the contest last playing on November 13, outscored WCU by a combined 52-37 in the second and fourth quarters for their first PSAC win of the season in a 91-72 victory.
• The Scots then traveled to Bloomsburg to play the Huskies for the first time in two seasons. Edinboro came out of the gates struggling due to foul trouble. By the end of the first quarter, four Edinboro players, including three starters were called for two or more fouls. Jontay Walton helped the Scots erase a nine-point first quarter deficit when she knotted the game at 24-24 in the second stanza. However, Bloomsburg ended the final 7:13 of the third quarter on an 18-8 run third quarter and the Fighting Scots fell, 70-62.
• Walton was Edinboro's top scorer in both contests. Against West Chester, she scored a season-high 25 points. The 5'6" made 10-of-11 free throws in the game, which tied her career-high for free throws attempted in a contest. The next day, she scored 20 points and went 7-of-9 at the charity stripe. She also grabbed seven rebounds, which tied her career-high, while also recording three steals.
• In addition to Walton, four other Fighting Scots posted double figures against West Chester. Michaela Barnes and Ciara Rosten each scored 18 points apiece. Barnes shot 4-of-9 from the field, went 10-for-12 at the line, and grabbed five rebounds, with all of them coming on the offensive end. Rosten brought down seven boards and dished out four assists. Bridgette Shaffer made her first career start against the Golden Rams . The 5'8" redshirt junior posted a career-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, drilled 3-of-5 3-pointers, and made a pair of free throws. She nearly recorded her second straight double-double with nine rebounds. Michelle Jahn was the fifth Fighting Scot to score in double digits, as she added 12 points, including two 3-pointers. The 5'7" senior guard collected four rebounds, had three dimes, and three steals.
• Against Bloomsburg, Barnes contributed 16 points, shooting 5-of-9 overall and converting 5-of-6 free throws. Jahn scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Shaffer also made her presence felt on the glass, as she collected six boards.
• The Fighting Scots finished with a 27-4 record a year, winning the PSAC championship and advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.  Four starters return from that squad. All-American Ciara Rosten leads the way. The 6'2" senior was an honorable mention WBCA All-American, while also being named the PSAC West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to Rosten, Jontay Walton was a first team All-PSAC West choice, while Michelle Jahn and Michaela Barnes were second team selections.
• Edinboro looks to extend a streak of eight straight seasons with 20-or-more wins. During that period, the Fighting Scots own a 193-50 record. They won their fifth PSAC championship a year ago, and fourth since 2011.
• Ciara Rosten headlines a group of four returning All-PSAC performers. The senior forward was the PSAC West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and went on to earn several All-American accolades. She was joined on the All-PSAC West first team by guard Jontay Walton, while guards Michelle Jahn and Michaela Barnes were accorded second team honors.
• East Stroudsburg was picked to finish second in the PSAC East coaches' preseason poll. The Warriors wrapped up last season going 16-11 overall and 14-8 in conference play. Last weekend, the Warriors defeated Mercyhurst, 65-64, before falling 75-68 to Slippery Rock on Monday.
• Edinboro enters the weekend averaging 74.0 ppg., which ranks fourth in the PSAC. The Fighting Scots are allowing 68.4 ppg., for ninth in league play. East Stroudsburg is scoring 70.7 ppg., and is giving up 67.1 ppg., for 11th and 12th in conference action.
• Saturday's contest begins a five-game homestand for the Fighting Scots. They will return to action on Tuesday, December 18 at 1:00 p.m. against Mansfield, followed by their final PSAC contest of 2018 vs. Lock Haven the following day at 5:30 p.m.

All-Time Series vs. East Stroudsburg

• Edinboro leads 16-1
• First Meeting: 1980-81 – East Stroudsburg 61, Edinboro 60
• Last Meeting: 2016-17 – Edinboro 77, East Stroudsburg 64
• Current Streak: Edinboro has won the last 16 meetings
• Wheeler vs. ESU: 0-0

Last Meeting 
December 3, 2016 -- Edinboro 77, East Stroudsburg 64 at Edinboro, Pa. BOX SCORE | RECAP

• Edinboro made it 16 wins over East Stroudsburg with the win at McComb Fieldhouse.After trailing for much of the first half, Edinboro scored the final five points of the half on a 3-pointer by Katie Fischer and a layup by Ciara Rosten for a 37-34 lead at intermission.
• ESU would never lead again as the Fighting Scots started the third quarter on a 7-2 run.The Warriors would pull to within four on three occasions, but they were never able to shut down Fischer, Rosten, and Michelle Jahn.
• The trio combined for 63 of Edinboro's 77 points. Fischer ended the game with 23 points on a variety of pull-up jumpers and drives. She made 9-of-16 field goals, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, and added six rebounds. Jahn had 22 points, starting the day off making 7-of-her first 8 shots on drives past defenders, before stepping outside to hit a pair of three's. She ended the day making 9-of-14 shots, along with pulling down five rebounds. Rosten played a strong game in the post, scoring 16 points and pulling down eight rebounds. 
• East Stroudsburg had four players in double figures, led by Imani Brown's 15 points. Allison Howard had 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Rebecca Rutkowski added 12 points. Noelle Powell finished with 11 points

Head Coach Callie Wheeler (Edinboro '06) -- 3-2, 1st year

• Callie Wheeler was officially named Edinboro's fifth head coach on May 23, 2018, replacing long-time head coach Stan Swank. The former Edinboro standout served as Swank's assistant coach for the previous 11 years before assuming the head coaching duties. Edinboro enjoyed great success during Wheeler's 11 seasons at Swank's side, posting a 239-86 record in her 11 seasons on the bench. That includes a string of eight straight 20-win seasons, including last year when the Fighting Scots ended the season with a 27-4 record. Edinboro won its fourth PSAC Championship in her 11 years and went on to reach the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional semifinals. It marked the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in her tenure as assistant coach, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2013-14. 
• Any doubts of Wheeler's ability to take over as head coach were alleviated when Wheeler filled in for a pair of games in late January last year. With Swank away from the team for his father's funeral, Wheeler guided the Fighting Scots to a 74-52 win at Slippery Rock, followed by a 73-54 victory over a Mercyhurst team, which had defeated California (Pa.) in its previous game. 
• Wheeler played for the Fighting Scots from 2002-06, and ranks as one of the all-time greatest players in Edinboro history. She became Edinboro's sixth Kodak/WBCA All-American as she earned honorable mention All-American honors. That capped a brilliant senior season in which she was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and was a first team All-PSAC West selection. In addition, she was selected as the Nancy Acker Award winner in 2006.
• The 5'5" guard finished as Edinboro's second-leading scorer at 12.5 ppg. as a senior, and also added 5.1 rpg. More importantly, she set a school record with 249 assists while turning the ball over just 89 times. She led the PSAC in both assists and steals, finishing with 95 in the latter category.
• Edinboro had had just one triple-double in its history prior to 2005-06, when Wheeler accomplished the fete twice. The first came against Seton Hill (20 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists), followed by 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in her final home appearance vs. Shippensburg.
• As a junior, Wheeler earned second team All-PSAC West accolades after averaging 10.4 ppg. and handing out 225 assists, along with recording 91 steals. The assists ranks third all-time. She led the Fighting Scots to a 21-10 record that season, along with the team's first berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs since 1998.
• Wheeler likely ranks at the top in a long line of standout point guards at Edinboro. While not taking over as the starter until her junior season, she concluded her career with 682 assists, despite missing the final seven games of the 2003-04 campaign due to an injury. That figure is second all-time in the PSAC. In addition, Wheeler finished with 283 career steals, a figure which ranks fourth all-time at Edinboro. She fell just shy of reaching 1,000 points for her career, finishing with 932.
• The Iorfido name (Wheeler's maiden name) is well known in Edinboro Athletics, where her family has had quite an impact. Her father, Rich, was a standout linebacker for the Edinboro football team from 1970-72, and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in April 2007. Callie joined her father as a member of the Edinboro Hall of Fame in October 2016. Younger sister Mandie was a standout catcher on the softball team, and a two-time All-PSAC West performer.

Scouting the Fighting Scots

• Edinboro comes into the contest with East Stroudsburg with a 3-2 record, and is 1-1 in PSAC West action. An odd schedule saw the Fighting Scots play three games in the first five days of the season, followed by a layoff of almost three weeks. The ESU game marks Edinboro's home game of the 2018-19 campaign, and starts a string of five straight contests at McComb Fieldhouse.The Fighting Scots are currently ranked eighth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region rankings. 
• The Fighting Scots returned to action for the first time since November 13 last weekend, opening up PSAC action at West Chester and Bloomsburg. They got off to a slow start against the Golden Rams, leading just 11-10 after one quarter. After that, they were able to pull away for a 91-72 win in a rematch of last year's PSAC semifinals.  
• The following day, Edinboro and Bloomsburg collided for the first time in two seasons. Foul trouble would be the story of the game for the Fighting Scots, as three starters, and four players overall, got into early foul trouble and were forced to sit for the majority of the first half. Edinboro trailed most of the contest, pulling to within five points on three occasions in the third stanza. However, the Huskies used an 18-8 run spanning over seven minutes in the third period and ultimately came away with a 70-62 upset of the 19th-ranked Fighting Scots. After sitting out most of the first half in foul trouble, Ciara Rosten suffered an injury late in the third quarter and would play just 13 minutes in the contest.     
• Edinboro has played its first five games of the year away from McComb Fieldhouse and three of its first four contests were against NCAA Tournament teams that won 20-or-more games last season. The Fighting Scots started the year ranked 11th in the WBCA Division II Top 25. They opened the season with a 67-60 win over Virginia State in a rematch of last year's Atlantic Region first round game, followed by a 79-58 loss to 18th-ranked Virginia Union. Edinboro returned to the court three days later with a 92-61 win at Wheeling Jesuit.
• The Fighting Scots feature four returning All-PSAC performers, led by Ciara Rosten. The 6'2" senior was named to three All-American teams a year ago. She earned WBCA honorable mention All-American accolades, along with being named a D2CCA second team All-American and third team Division II Bulletin All-American. In addition, she was selected the D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and the PSAC Athlete of the Year and Defensive Athlete of the Year. Rosten is a preseason Division II Bulletin honorable mention All-American. A year ago, she averaged 15.8 ppg., second on the team, while leading the team in rebounding at 12.2 rpg. and ranking second in assists (108). She led the PSAC and ranked third in Division II in rebounds per game, along with leading the country in rebounds with 377, the third-highest total in a season at Edinboro. She also led the PSAC and was fifth in Division II in blocks per game (3.77), along with ranking fourth in the country in total blocks with a school-record 117. Rosten would end the season with eight consecutive double-doubles and had 21 for the season, leading the PSAC and ranking second in Division II. After five games, Rosten is averaging 14.4 ppg. and 9.2 rpg. She has had double-doubles against Virginia State and Wheeling Jesuit. She currently ranks second in career blocks (177) and 14th in career rebounds (615). She ranks eighth in career rebounds per game (9.3). She has scored 919 points in two-plus seasons.
• Jontay Walton joined Rosten as a first team All-PSAC West selection after leading the Fighting Scots in scoring (16.5 ppg.), assists (132), and steals (73). She scored 512 points, which ranks 16th in a season at Edinboro, and was also sixth in a season in 3-point percentage (43.1 pct.). The 5'6" graduate student ranked ninth in the PSAC in scoring, along with third in assists (4.3 apg.), tied for sixth in steals (2.4 spg.), 11th in free throw percentage (79.9 pct.), and tied for 14th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7 per game). Walton is averaging a team-leading 19.4 ppg. after five contests, making 40-of-45 free throws. She has 915 career points in two-plus seasons.
• Michelle Jahn and Michaela Barnes were accorded second team All-PSAC West honors. Jahn finished fourth on the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg. The 5'8" senior is one of the top 3-point threats in the PSAC, making 64-of-182 (35.2 pct.) from beyond the arc. She ranked fifth in the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage and was seventh in 3-pointers made per game (2.1). The 64 3-pointers made ranks seventh in a season at Edinboro, and the 182 3-pointers attempted is sixth. She is averaging 11.6 ppg. Jahn went over 1,000 career points in last year's PSAC playoff game vs. California(Pa.), and ranks 25th in career scoring with 1,126 points. She is also fourth in career 3-point field goals made (207), fifth in 3-pointers attempted (581), and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.356).
• After earning PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors in 2016-17, Barnes was the MVP of last year's PSAC Tournament. The 5'4" junior ended the year third on the team in scoring at 14.2 ppg., while finishing fourth on the team in assists (65) and third in steals (36). She comes into the weekend averaging 14.4 ppg.

• East Stroudsburg heads into the weekend at 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC East. The Warriors opened PSAC action this past Saturday with a 65-64 victory against Mercyhurst, before falling on Monday to Slippery Rock, 75-68. ESU opened the year with wins in two of its first three games, but has now dropped three of its last four contests.
• Diane Decker is in her fifth season as East Stroudsburg's head coach and her seventh year with the program. The former Villanova standout served as the team's interim head coach during the 2007-08 season. After serving as assistant coach with Bloomsburg for seven seasons, Decker returned as the head coach in 2015-16. Under her tutelage, the Warriors have won 15, 19, and 16 games the last three years and have secured births in the PSAC Tournament each year. Prior to her return, East Stroudsburg had only one winning season in its previous eight campaigns. During the 2016-17 season, Decker led ESU to the program's best record in a decade at 19-9 overall and a spot in the PSAC Final Four.
• The Warriors concluded the 2017-18 season with a 16-11 and were picked to finish second in the PSAC East coaches' preseason poll. They welcome back four of their five starters from last year's squad. The lone departure from the starting five was Imani Brown, the 2017-18 PSAC East Player of the Year, who averaged team high's of 18.6 ppg. and 6.6 rpg.
• Juniors Tiffany Lapotsky and Jordan Hertz lead an experienced ESU backcourt. Lapotsky, a second team All-PSAC East selection a year ago, is the team's leading scorer at 15.3 ppg. after averaging 11.6 ppg. last season. While averaging 8.4 ppg., Hertz is ESU's top rebounder at 5.4 rpg. The 5'9" junior guard also leads the team in assists (45) and steals (18). She ranks first in the PSAC and ninth in Division II in assists per game.
• Marlene Bassett, a 6'2" sophomore, leads the Warrior frontcourt with 13.3 ppg. and has blocked a team-high eight shots. She is shooting 67.9 percent from the floor (38-of-56), which ranks first in the conference and seventh nationally.
• Amanda Pike is the top 3-point threat for the Warriors. The 5'10" has made 19-of-57 trifectas and is averaging 11.5 ppg. Pike has only made six 2-point buckets and has yet to attempt a free throw.
• Noelle Powell, a 5'7", earned first team All-PSAC East accolades in 2016-17 after averaging 13.0 ppg. She battled injuries a year ago and currently comes in averaging 6.7 ppg. 
• Abby Schoffstall is the sister of former Edinboro wrestler Ty Schoffstall. The sophomore guard has appeared in all seven games, averaging 15 minutes per contest and scoring 12 points.
       

• Edinboro will break for final exams before returning to action on Tuesday, December 18, hosting Mansfield. The PSAC crossover contest will tip off at 1 p.m. The following day, the Fighting Scots host Lock Haven at 5:30 p.m., and will wrap up 2018 against former PSAC member Cheyney on Saturday, December 29 at 1:00 p.m.