Matt Durisko

Men's Basketball 11/6/2019 8:03:00 PM Bob Shreve, Sports Information Director

Fighting Scots Debut in 2019-20 vs. Thiel, Play Cleveland State the Next Day in Exhibition

Junior guard Jaryn Simpson.

Edinboro opens the 2019-20 season hosting Thiel, marking the fourth straight year the Fighting Scots have opened against the Tomcats. Edinboro has run off 19 straight wins over Thiel, but in recent years the Tomcats have put up a good challenge. A year ago Edinboro prevailed 81-63.
Edinboro comes off a 9-17 finish a year ago and is picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the Western Division in the PSAC Coaches' Preseason Poll. Thiel was 7-19 last year under head coach Tim Loomis, who is now in his 14^th year at Thiel and 25^th year overall as a head coach. The Tomcats were recently picked to finish seventh, as well, in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.
Head coach Pat Cleary begins his seventh season at Edinboro, and welcomes back five players who started 11 games-or-more. But the key player may be one who started just four games in 2018-19. Anthony Coleman was a second team All-PSAC West selection in 2017-18 after averaging 15.2 ppg. The 6'3" guard went down with a season-ending injury early in the fourth game. Now a redshirt senior, he averaged 12.3 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. in three-plus games last year. Coleman is one of the top 3-point threats in the PSAC, making 72-of-174 (41.4 pct.) as a junior. He ranked sixth in the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage and was tied for seventh in 3-point field goals made per game (2.5).
With Coleman missing, Jaryn Simpson made a huge jump in productivity. The 6'3" guard went from 3.4 ppg. to 18.0 ppg., ranking ninth in the PSAC. He made 76-of-210 3-pointers, and was at 90.2 percent from the line (110-of-122). He set a school-record for free throw percentage while leading the PSAC, as well. His 76 3-pointers made ranks eighth in a season, and the 210 3-pointers attempted are fifth. Simpson was tied for second on the team in rebounds at 5.5 per game, while leading the team in assists (115) and steals (22). He had Edinboro's first triple-double since 2008 with 25 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and career-best 11 assists in the second meeting with Pitt-Johnstown.
With his four years of eligibility in football used up, Trey Staunch is using his fifth year of eligibility on the basketball court. He started playing two years ago and has continued to improve. Now he can concentrate on just basketball. The 6'4", 285 lb. graduate student muscled his way for 14.4 ppg. and a team-leading 7.4 rpg. a year ago. When not playing basketball, he is a graduate assistant in the sports information office.
Turner Kurt started 16 games as a true freshman a year ago. The 6'8" forward averaged 8.7 ppg. and 4.3 rpg.
Edinboro returns to the hardcourt less than a day later, playing an exhibition game on Saturday at Cleveland State. The contest gets underway at 3:30 p.m. at the Wolstein Center.

ON THE RADIO/VIDEO

The Edinboro-Thiel game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Chris Rosato on the play-by-play and Luke Boniger providing color commentary. In addition, the game will be streamed live on Stretch Internet and Edinboronow.com as part of the PSAC Network. All men's and women's basketball games will be streamed live through Stretch Internet.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. THIEL

Edinboro leads 36-10
First Meeting: 1935-36 – Thiel 42, Edinboro 24
Last Meeting: 2018-19 – Edinboro 81, Thiel 63
Current Streak: Edinboro has won the last 19 meetings.
Cleary vs. Thiel: 6-0

LAST MEETING
Nov. 10, 2018 – Edinboro 86, Thiel 77 at Edinboro BOX SCORE | RECAP

Edinboro made it 19 straight wins over Thiel in the season opener, but as usual, it didn't come easy. The Fighting Scots held a nine-point lead at the half at 40-31, and built the lead to 11 points in the second half, only to see the Tomcats close the gap to a point at 48-47 with 13:13 remaining. Edinboro's lead was still just five points at 59-54 before the Fighting Scots scored ten straight points to blow the game open at 69-54 with 6:31 to play. Thiel never got closer than 12 points the rest of the night.
Sophomore Jaryn Simpson paced the Fighting Scots with 22 points and 6 assists, both career bests at the time. He was 8-of-9 at the line while leading four players in double digits.
A pair of junior college transfers were next. Daylon Harris, a junior forward by way of Western Nebraska CC, scored 15 points and had 8 rebounds, tied for the team lead. He made 7-of-12 field goals and was 1-of-1 at the line. DeAnthony Owens, a junior guard from New Mexico JC, chipped in 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 three's, and 2-of-3 at the line.
Anthony Coleman got off to a fast start with 11 first-half points. The senior guard would end the night with 13 markers, along with 8 rebounds. Jack Frank also pulled down 8 boards along with blocking 3 shots.
Freshman Turner Kurt, from nearby Cambridge Springs High School, was 3-of-5 on 3-pointers and finished with 9 points in his first career game, adding 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in 24 minutes.
Edinboro shot 42.6 percent from the floor (29-of-68), and made 16-of-28 free throws (68.2 pct.). the Fighting Scots took full advantage of the 3-point arc, making 8 in 28 attempts. Thiel, meanwhile, was held to 36.1 percent from the floor ((26-of-72), making 4-of-16 3-pointers, and went 7-of-11 from the line.
The Fighting Scots held a 48-43 advantage on the glass, with both teams hitting the offensive glass. Edinboro had 16 offensive boards and Thiel 17. The Fighting Scots committed 10 turnovers, but just three over the final 20 minutes. Thiel had 12 turnovers. The Fighting Scots blocked 10 shots, led by Jack Frank and Turner Kurt with three.
Thiel had a trio of players in double digits. Alonzo Brown led the way with 14 points, and also had a team-high 9 rebounds. After missing all but one game in 2017-18, Terrance Holloway ended the night with 12 points. Daquan Simmons added 10 points. .

HEAD COACH
Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99) -- 74-86, 7th Year

After serving as an assistant coach under Greg Walcavich for 14 years, Pat Cleary was introduced as Edinboro's tenth head coach on March 26, 2013. He is now in his seventh season at the helm and has a 74-86 record, with three teams making the PSAC Tournament.
Cleary's first three teams improved each year, with his 2015-16 team earning the third seed in the PSAC West Tournament with a 15-11 overall record and 14-8 league mark.
The 2017-18 Fighting Scots were picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West Coaches' Preseason Poll. They would surprise the league with a fourth place finish at 13-9 in league play, and 18-11 overall. Edinboro would defeat Pitt-Johnstown in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament, then hand top-seeded Indiana(Pa.) a defeat in the quarterfinals. The playoff run came to an end with a loss to eventual PSAC champion East Stroudsburg in the semifinals. It marked Edinboro's first appearance in the PSAC Final Four since 2008.
Cleary was named the 2018 PSAC West Coach of the Year. The 18 wins were the most by the Fighting Scots since the 2012-13 team won 18 games.
He guided Edinboro to the PSAC Tournament for the first time in 2014-15 with a 14-13 record, a four-game improvement over his first year, after being chosen to finish eighth in the PSAC West preseason poll.

SCOUTING THIEL

Thiel head coach Tim Loomis is in his 14^th season in charge of the Tomcats, and 25^th year overall as a head coach. The Tomcats finished at 7-19. They played an exhibition game at Youngstown State on Tuesday night, losing to the Division I Penguins, 101-53. Daquan Simmons and Nyric Gosley led the way with 12 points apiece, while Michael Ricks added 8 points and 7 rebounds. The Tomcats shot 32.2 percent for the game.
Three starters return, led by Daquan Simmons. A 6'4" junior guard, Simmons was the third-leading scorer at 10.1 ppg. He was the team's top three-point threat, making 55-of-137.
Simmons was recently named a PAC Preseason Player to Watch, as was Nyric Gosley. A 6'2" senior guard, he led the team in assists (81) and steals (40) while averaging 8.2 ppg. The third returning starter is Ahmad Tejumola is the third returning starter. The 6'8" sophomore contributed 5.9 ppg. and 4.8 rpg. The Tomcats can also rely on 6'9" junior Andre Williams inside. He started 11 games and averaged 3.7 ppg. and 3.5 rpg. with 17 blocks.

NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS: Saturday, November 9 at Cleveland State (exhibition) – 3:30 p.m.
Cleveland State opened its season on Tuesday with an 85-50 loss at Minnesota. The Vikings home schedule begins with Edinboro. The contest is a regular season game for CSU and an exhibition contest for the Fighting Scots. It's Fan Appreciation Day and fans will be admitted free of charge to the game. Tickets will be available while supplies last and must be claimed in advance online. All seats will be general admission, but season ticket holder seats will be reserved. There will be $1 hot dogs, $2 draft beers and free popcorn available. Fans can park for free in Cleveland State's South Garage adjacent to the Wolstein Center.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#21 Jack Frank: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#11 Jaryn Simpson: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#45 Trey Staunch: F; 6' 4"; Senior

#3 Daylon Harris: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#33 Turner Kurt: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

#24 DeAnthony Owens: G; 6' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#21 Jack Frank
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#11 Jaryn Simpson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#45 Trey Staunch
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F

#3 Daylon Harris
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#33 Turner Kurt
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F

#24 DeAnthony Owens
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G

Edinboro University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Fighting Scots Debut in 2019-20 vs. Thiel, Play Cleveland State the Next Day in Exhibition

Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman

#21 Jack Frank

#11 Jaryn Simpson

#45 Trey Staunch

#3 Daylon Harris

#33 Turner Kurt

#24 DeAnthony Owens

Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman

#21 Jack Frank

#11 Jaryn Simpson

#45 Trey Staunch

#3 Daylon Harris

#33 Turner Kurt

#24 DeAnthony Owens