EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University relied on a feisty defensive effort that saw the Warriors force 31 turnovers in a 75-61 victory over Lock Haven on Wednesday night in PSAC men's basketball action at Koehler Fieldhouse.

Montrel Morgan was one of four Warriors to finish in double-figures, scoring a team-high 15 points on an efficient shooting night as he went 5-of-6 from the field and made all three attempts from downtown. Marc Rodriguez drained four three-pointers during a 14-point performance while also notching a team-high four assists. Troy Jones posted 13 points and three steals, and Michal Weiss recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals.

ESU returned to form with its high-pressure trapping defense, as the Warriors caused 31 turnovers by the Bald Eagles and scored 27 points off turnovers. The 31 forced turnovers are the second-most by the Warriors this season, trailing only the 34 they caused against Cheyney back in November.

The Warriors pushed their win streak over Lock Haven to four straight and improved to 10-8 overall on the year and 7-7 in conference, while the Bald Eagles dropped to 8-10 overall and 5-9 in PSAC play.
ESU and Lock Haven battled back and forth in the early stages of the contest as the opening nine minutes featured five lead changes and four ties.

With the Warriors holding a two-point advantage nearing the midway mark of the half, they went on a 10-2 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game, 26-16, with 8:39 showing on the clock. Rodriguez knocked down a pair of three-pointers and the Warriors forced three turnovers during the two-plus minute rally.

Lock Haven battled back and cut the deficit back down to three with 3:33 remaining in the frame before the Warriors scored five of the final seven points of the half to take a 38-32 advantage into the intermission.

The Bald Eagles tied the contest at 44-44 in the opening five minutes of the second half, and took their first lead since early in the contest at the 13:54 mark following a three-point play by Nasir Campbell.

Morgan scored eight straight points for the Warriors, including a pair of triples, over the ensuing two minutes of play to stake ESU back out to a 54-49 lead with 10:09 remaining.

Two consecutive buckets from Lock Haven on its next pair of possessions trimmed the deficit back to one, but ESU answered with a 10-1 run to push it back to a double-digit lead. Shamir Johnson helped fuel the run with six points, and Jones capped it off with a three-pointer that made it a 64-54 game with 5:26 showing on the clock.

From there, the Warriors didn't let the lead slip back under nine points the rest of the way, as they closed out the 75-61 victory to even up their record in conference play.

The Warriors hit the road to battle No. 24 Shippensburg this Saturday, February 1 at 3 p.m.