Box Score

EAST STROUDSBURG - Redshirt junior guard Jakwan Jones scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in the second half and East Stroudsburg University ended the game on a 14-3 run, surging past defending PSAC champion Shippensburg for a 90-79 win in PSAC East men's basketball on Wednesday night at Koehler Fieldhouse.

Junior guard Nick Giordano scored 18 points, going 7-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the three-point line, and senior forward Ralik Wise added 10 points and five rebounds for ESU (9-2, 6-1), which remains one game behind West Chester (11-0, 7-0) for the PSAC East lead after WCU survived Millersville's upset bid, 75-73.

Jones added five assists, junior guard Kitt Najee Walls had nine points and four assists and nine Warriors scored at least five points. Redshirt senior forward Steve Harris had eight points and five boards, sophomore forward Kobi Nwandu scored eight, senior guard Ryan Krawczeniuk and redshirt junior forward Josh Williams scored six each and sophomore guard Montrel Morgan added five for the Warriors.

Dustin Sleva, the reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Year and an NABC All-America first team selection, had 23 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for Shippensburg (8-3, 4-2), which played a DII opponent for the first time since December 9 after being snowed out at Mercyhurst on Saturday.

Justin McCarthur scored 21 points and point guard Clay Conner had 14 points but five of Shippensburg's 20 turnovers.

ESU ended Ship's four-game run in the series, including three last year culminating with a 85-71 win in the PSAC quarterfinals to start Ship's march to its first PSAC title since 1991, and first NCAA appearance since 2006.

The game featured 16 lead changes and 14 ties - including nine of each in the second half, which was played within a seven-point window (ESU by as many as 4, Ship by as many as 3) until the Warriors scored six straight to open a 72-66 lead on a jumper by Walls with seven minutes remaining.

Ship came back to tie it at 74-74 on a three by Antonio Kellem (5 points) with just under five minutes to go, and it was 76-76 at the under four-minute media timeout.

Wise made 3-of-4 free throws and Jones had a three-point play around a Ship miss and a turnover as the Warriors re-established their six-point lead. Krawczeniuk had a steal, foul and made 1-of-2 for an 83-76 edge before Sleva narrowed it to five with a jumper for his final points with 2:05 left.

Nwandu hit perhaps the night's biggest shot, a three-pointer assisted by Jones, with the shot clock running down to make it 86-78 at the 1:30 mark.

McCarthur missed a three for Ship, Nwandu rebounded and Jones made a pair at the line - part of an 8-for-9 performance - to extend ESU's margin to 88-78 with 51 seconds to go. Jones made two more with 35 seconds left to help seal the victory.

ESU, first in DII in turnovers forced (23.5), second in turnover margin (+8.2) and second in steals (13.3), had a 20-12 advantage in turnovers and posted nine steals, including three by Jones.

The Warriors outscored Ship 49-36 in the second half after the Raiders led 43-41 at intermission. Ship had a 13-0 run to go in front, 34-25, before ESU pulled it back to a two-point game to set up a tightly-contested second half.

Both teams shot better than 50 percent - ESU was 30-for-55 (54.5 percent) from the field, including 9-for-16 from three; and Ship was 26-for-51 (51.0 percent) from the floor and 9-for-24 from long distance. The teams ranked first (Ship, 10.7) and second (ESU, 10.3) in the PSAC in three-pointers per game entering the night.

Jones and Walls combined for 29 points, nine assists and five turnovers from the point guard spot, shooting 9-for-13 from the field, 2-for-5 from three and 9-for-11 at the foul line.

ESU hits the road for a three-game span - at Lock Haven, at Cheyney and at IUP - before returning to Koehler Fieldhouse vs. Bloomsburg on Saturday, January 13.

GAME NOTES
* Harris grabbed his 500th career rebound and leads active Warriors in career points (731) and boards (500).
* Giordano has 99 career 3-pointers and improved to 46.0% from long distance this season (2nd in PSAC).