East Stroudsburg Edges UDC, 61-57

East Stroudsburg, PA: December 5, 2009-- Eighty-two percent free-throw shooting enabled East Stroudsburg University to edge the University of the District of Columbia, 61-57, tonight in the Pocono Classic at Koehler Fieldhouse in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Robby Pines paced the Warriors to their win over the Firebirds, scoring 13 points  and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Free-throw shooting was the deciding factor in the game as the Warriors converted 83 percent (19 of 23) of their attempts to the Firebirds'  39 percent ( 5 of 13).  Shooting from behind the arc kept the game close for the Firebirds as they made 55 percent ( 6 for 11 ) of their three-point shots to only 17 percent ( 2 for 12) for the Warriors.

 Micah Covert scored 12 points and Mike Tobin added 11 points to the Warrior win. Sophomore guard Nigel Munson (Washington, DC) pumped in a game-high 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, made 4 assists and 3 steals in leading the Firebird scoring.  Freshman forward Dyrek Jones (Brooklyn, NY) followed with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals, while sophomore forward Chris Leach ( Washington, DC) added 10 points, and 4 rebounds to the effort.

ESU led 33-28 at the half-time break, but UDC came back to outscore them 29-28 in the second half. The Warrior bench generated 22 of their points to the Firebirds'  7.

UDC took the lead 57-56 with 3:11 remaining on a free throw by Jones after he was fouled while making a lay-up. The Warriors regained the lead on a lay-up by Duane Johnson with 1:59 on the clock and held on for the win.

UDC (0-7) will see action again in their season home opener on December 9, at  7 p.m., against Kutztown University.