Box Score

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Sophomore guard Tiffany Lapotsky had 21 points, including 19 in a dominant third quarter, and junior guard Noelle Powell added 17 points in her season debut to help East Stroudsburg University pull away for an 81-69 victory over Pitt-Johnstown on Sunday.

The Warriors (3-1, 2-0) trailed 47-39 midway through the third quarter, but Lapotsky almost single-handedly fueled a 16-3 run to end the frame, and Powell scored 15 of her 17 points in the final 10 minutes to secure the win. ESU was the only PSAC East school to win each of its two road games at West division opponents over the weekend.

Senior guard Imani Brown chipped in her second-straight double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore center Alison Bauman netted a career-high nine points in 19 minutes off the bench. Gabrielle Smith registered a team-high 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Mountain Cats (3-2, 1-1).

UPJ held a slim 35-34 advantage at halftime, and the hosts opened up their largest lead of eight points with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter. Lapotsky took control for the remainder of the frame. She finished with 19 of the team's 21 points in the quarter; a Bauman layup that put the Warriors in front 49-48 accounted for the other points.

Powell, one of three first team All-PSAC East selections a year ago, hit 4 of 6 field goal attempts with a pair of 3-pointers to lead ESU in the fourth. One of those 3's gave the visitors a 70-59 lead with 5:36 left in regulation, and the Mountain Cats got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Warriors had a 35-14 advantage in bench scoring, with Powell and Bauman contributing 26 of those points. Bauman hit each of her four shot attempts while also contributing three rebounds and a block.

ESU closed things out from the charity stripe in the second half, making 16 of 18 free throw attempts after the intermission and 19 of 22 shots overall (86.4 percent). Lapotsky hit all six of her free throws, Powell was 5 for 6, and Brown was 3 for 3.

Lapotsky surpassed 20 points for the second time this season, as she netted a career-high 25 points in the opener at New Haven. She is shooting 50 percent this year from 3-point range (10-20) and the field overall (23-46) through ESU's first four games.

Brown's 11 rebounds matched a career-high, while the double-double was the sixth of her collegiate career.

The Warriors are back in action on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Chestnut Hill at 4 p.m. in their home opener at Koehler Fieldhouse.