Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Senior forward Allison Howard scored her 1,000 career point, sophomore guard Noelle Powell netted a career-high 21 points, and East Stroudsburg University pulled away from Philadelphia University early in the fourth quarter to earn a 78-66 win in its first road game of the season on Tuesday night.

The Warriors (4-0) continued their unbeaten start, topping a Rams squad which won 25 games and reached its second-straight NCAA Tournament last winter.

Howard becomes the 15th player in program history to reach 1,000 points at ESU, crossing the threshold after converting a second-chance layup 34 seconds into the second quarter. She ended the night with 13 points and eight rebounds overall.

Junior center Rebecca Rutkowski added 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to post her second-career double-double, and junior guard Imani Brown chipped in 14 points.

Powell did most of her damage in the first half, scoring 18 of her points prior to the intermission. She hit 6-of-7 field goal attempts, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

That outburst helped the Warriors jump out to an early 17-4 advantage seven minutes into the contest. The Rams (2-3)reduced that lead down to 20-17 heading into the second, and they jumped ahead for the first time when Rachel Day sank a 3-pointer to make it 23-22 with 8:13 remaining in the half.

Day had a game-high 23 points, while Jessica Kaminski and Alynna Williams added 17 points apiece for the home side. Kaminski also grabbed 14 rebounds to register a double-double.

Philadelphia expanded its margin to four points at 33-29 with 2:18 on the clock. ESU, though, used a 9-1 run, capped by a buzzer-beating jumper from Rutkowski, to take a 38-34 lead into the second half.

Rutkowski finished the contest 8-for-15 from the field. Her other double-double as a Warrior came when she totaled 14 points and 11 boards in a PSAC Tournament first round win over Bloomsburg last season.

ESU's advantage increased to 59-52 by the end of the third quarter, and the visitors began the fourth on an 11-2 run, finished off by a 3-pointer by freshman guard Jordan Hertz, to take their largest lead of 70-54 with 6:08 remaining. The Rams were never able to get the deficit back down to single digits.

Brown and Howard continued their streaks of scoring 10+ points in every game so far this season. The Warriors shot 46.8 percent from the field as a team, while holding Philadelphia to a 31.4 percent shooting output.

Jessica Martin (2011-15) was the last ESU player prior to Howard to reach 1,000 career points. Howard now has 1,007 points to her credit, putting her within striking distance of Shannon Schwilk (1996-00, 1,026 points), DeAnna Rayam (2006-10, 1,046) and Rose Mohl (1981-85, 1,050) on the all-time scoring list.

Powell's previous career scoring high was an 18-point effort at West Chester on Jan. 9 last season. She finished the night 7-for-10 overall, while also dishing out four assists, finishing one shy of Hertz for the team lead.

The Warriors now have five days off for Thanksgiving break before returning to action at Chestnut Hill next Monday. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 6 p.m.