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MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – For a fifth time in the past seven seasons, East Stroudsburg University has earned a PSAC East regular season championship.

Redshirt senior Jakwan Jones scored a career-high 25 points, while freshman Ryan Smith added 21 points and seven rebounds as the Warriors overcame multiple double-digit deficits to secure an 85-77 win at Millersville on Saturday.

ESU (20-6, 17-3), the defending PSAC and Division II Atlantic Region champions, will host either No. 4 Millersville or No. 5 Kutztown in a PSAC quarterfinal at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Warriors increased their winning streak to a season-high nine games, and they completed a season sweep of the Marauders (16-12, 11-9). Redshirt senior Josh Williams chipped in 17 points and a career-high four 3-pointers in the victory.

This afternoon's win did not come easy, as Millersville led for almost the entirety of the first half after starting the contest on a 12-2 run. The Marauders held five 10-point advantages in the opening 20 minutes, with the last occurring at 37-27 with 2:26 remaining.

Williams sank a pair of 3-pointers in an 8-2 run to conclude the half, as ESU trimmed its deficit to 39-35 at the intermission.

A Jones layup created the first tie since the opening minute 5:30 into the second half, and a free throw by junior Michal Weiss gave the Warriors their first lead at 52-51 with 13:29 left in regulation.

Millersville went back ahead on a 3-pointer by Marcus Adkison, but Jones responded with 10 points during an 18-5 stretch which gave ESU its largest advantage of 70-59 with under seven minutes remaining.

Jones and Smith would combine to score all of the Warriors' remaining 15 points in the contest to wrap up the win. They had 35 of ESU's 50 points in the second half overall.

In addition to his scoring contributions, Jones handed out four assists to move into sole possession of second place all-time at ESU. Jones, who entered the weekend ranked eighth nationally in assists per game, has totaled 471 assists in his collegiate career.

Smith, meanwhile, becomes the first Warrior in two seasons to score 20+ points in three-consecutive games. Coming off a season-high 31 points against Kutztown on Wednesday, he hit 7 of 9 field goal attempts and 6 of 7 free throws. Smith reached double figures for a 19th-straight games, while Williams has scored 10+ points in 14-straight contests.

Adkison had a team-high 23 points (7-12 3FG) for the Marauders. Millersville will host Kutztown (15-13, 9-11) in a PSAC first round matchup on Monday, with the winner advancing to play ESU at Koehler Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Notes:

With his 21 points today, Smith becomes the fourth freshman in ESU history to score 400 points in his debut season. His current 60.3 field goal percentage would set a new program freshman record.

Jones, currently ranked third in Division II in steals per game (2.9), added three more thefts on Saturday. He has recorded three or more steals in 15 of 26 games this winter.