GREENSBURG, Pa. – Keshawn Liggins recorded his 13th double-double of the season and Trey Staunch had his first to lead Edinboro to a 78-70 victory at Seton Hill on Wednesday night. The win at the McKenna Center clinched a berth in the PSAC Tournament. The Fighting Scots have now won three straight games and are now 14-7 overall and 11-6 in the PSAC West. Seton Hill fell to 8-15 and 5-13, respectively.
Liggins continued his outstanding season, as the 6'5" senior led Edinboro in scoring for the sixth straight game. He came in ranked first in the PSAC in scoring and third in rebounding, and finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds for his 13th double-double. He made 11-0f-19 field goals, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, and went 4-for-5 at the line. He added three assists and three steals.
Staunch, the offensive lineman-turned-forward, worked his way to 13 points and 10 rebounds while giving away over four inches to Seton Hill's Spencer Casson. Staunch played 22 minutes and went 7-of-8 from the line.
Anthony Coleman was also in double figures with 15 points, 10 of those in the first half. He had three assists and three steals. Jaymon Mason was limited to eight points, but handed out four assists.
Seton Hill featured four players in double figures, led by Casson, who finished one block shy of a triple-double. The 6'8" redshirt senior had 15 points, 18 rebounds, and nine blocked shots. Trevor Blondin and Nathan Davis had 13 points apiece, while Trevor Lecuona had 11 points and seven assists.
Edinboro led for most of the evening and never trailed by more than a 3-pointer by Seton Hill to start the game, but the Fighting Scots made things interesting late in the game.
The Fighting Scots led by as much as 15 points in the first half at 32-17 at the four-minute mark thanks to an 11-1 run that featured five points by Liggins. The Griffins would end the half on a 9-3 run to close to 37-30 at intermission.
Mike Beck's three boosted the lead to 40-30 at the start of the second half, but Seton Hill scored the next six points to move to within four at 40-36. The Griffins eventually pulled to within a point at 51-50 on Lecuona's 3-pointer midway through the half.
???????Edinboro responded with the next ten points. Liggins made one-of-two free throws, and Staunch and Liggins followed with layups. Staunch made a pair at the charity stripe and added a layup. Mason ended the run with a free throw to make it 61-50 with 8:11 to play.
Back came the Griffins, as they used an 8-2 run to move to within 70-66 with 1:43 to play. Staunch's two free throws made it 72-66, but Anthony Karabotsos' layup closed the gap to four again with 37 seconds left. Coleman's layup boosted the lead to 74-68 with 26 seconds showing, but a Casson dunk five seconds later made it a four-point margin again.
Liggins would be fouled on the next possessions, and was intentionally fouled. He made both free throws, and Staunch closed out the win with two more with 13 seconds to play.
Edinboro shot 40.9 percent from the floor (27-of-66), making 8-of-21 3-pointers, and was 16-of-22 at the line. Seton Hill was 27-of-63 from the floor (42.9 pct.), making 4-of-13 three's. and was 11-of-21 at the line. Edinboro held a 43-40 rebounding edge while committing 13 turnovers compared to 14 for Seton Hill.
Edinboro returns to action on Saturday, February 10, hosting Gannon on Make-A-Wish Awareness Day. The two teams are tied for third place in the Western Division at 11-6, a half-game behind Slippery Rock at 12-6. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.
