FLUSHING, N.Y. – East Stroudsburg University had four players finish with double-figure points, and the Warrior defense forced 30 turnovers in an 85-67 victory at Queens College on Wednesday night.
Kitt Najee Walls led the Warriors with a team-high 18 points to go along with three assists and three steals. Montrel Morgan went 5-of-6 from the field en route to a 14-point effort, and Mike Millsip (13 points) and Michal Weiss (11) were the other two Warriors to tally double-figures. Weiss added nine rebounds as he finished one board shy of a double-double.
The ESU defense applied high-pressure throughout the night, forcing 30 turnovers by Queens and scoring 25 points off turnovers. The Warriors have now forced 20 or more turnovers in four of their seven contests on the year.
ESU (4-3) shot 48.5-percent from the field and went 7-of-22 (.318) from long range in the win, while Queens (1-7) posted a 50-percent mark from the floor and hit 12-of-21 (.571) from deep.
ESU and Queens went back-and-forth throughout much of the opening half, as the period featured seven lead changes. With under five minutes remaining before the break, the Warriors went on a 12-5 run to grab an eight-point advantage, which was the largest of the half for either team. Millsip began the stretch with back-to-back buckets in the paint and Walls followed by hitting a pair of fouls shots. After a three-pointer by the Knights, Morgan drained three-pointers on two straight possessions to make it a 36-28 game with 1:34 on the clock.
Queens netted the final two scores of the half on a three by Tyrese Crosdale and a jumper from Shomari Redd to cut the ESU lead to 36-33 heading into the break.
ESU shot just 38.7-percent in the opening half compared to a 48.1-percent clip by Queens, but the Warrior defense forced 14 turnovers to help give them the edge in the stanza.
Morgan made all three of his field goals attempts in the half to pace the Warriors with 10 points, while Walls contributed seven points and two assists in the frame.
The Warriors grabbed the first double-digit lead of the night just over three and a half minutes into the second period following a stretch of nine straight points. Five different Warriors scored during the stretch that saw ESU open a 49-39 advantage.
ESU then took a commanding lead heading towards the midway mark of the second half in a run fueled by Millsip. The redshirt sophomore started things with back-to-back jumpers, the second of which he was fouled and converted the free throw to complete the three-point play. Redd broke things up with a bucket for Queens, but Millsip followed with another jumper at the 12:12 mark to make it a 15-point ESU lead, 66-51.
The Warriors continued to hold Queens at arms length before stretching their lead to the largest of the night, 84-63, with 2:45 remaining after six straight points from Walls.
ESU closed things out from there and went on for the 85-67 victory to improve to 4-3 on the year.
The Warriors return to action this Saturday, December 7 for their first home PSAC game of the season, as they welcome in Clarion to Koehler Fieldhouse for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
