WEST LIBERTY, W. VA. -- Trailing by just seven points at halftime, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team could not contain hot-shooting No. 14 West Liberty, falling to the Hilltoppers by a score of 108-93 on Saturday night at WLU's Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex.

The Warriors fall to 0-2 on the young season, while the nationally-ranked Hilltoppers improve to 2-0.

WLU knocked down 18-of-35 attempts from 3-point land, shooting 38-75 from the field overall. The Hilltoppers play a similar full-court press style defensively, forcing 26 ESU turnovers that resulted in 30 points for WLU.

Three Warriors registered 17 points, with Lakeem McAliley (5-6 FG, 2-3 3PT), Justin Paz (5-10 FG, 3-4 3PT) and Carlos Pepin (6-9 FG) leading ESU in scoring. Troy Jones added 15 points, converting 6-of-7 attempts from the charity stripe. Mike Millsip added 11 points to round out the Warrior double-figure scorers.

On the boards, Jones and McAliley each grabbed six rebounds. The Warriors led the Hilltoppers 38-35 on rebounds.

Pat Robinson led WLU with 32 points.

After shooting 1-22 from 3-point range on Friday against Wheeling. The Warriors made 8-of-16 from 3-point land. Overall, the Warriors shot 30-58 (51.7%). Five different Warriors made triples, led by Paz's three treys.

It was ESU that first gained momentum, grabbing a 13-5 advantage. WLU would sprint on an 18-11 run to take a 23-22 lead. The two teams traded buckets and leads until the Hilltoppers grabbed a 10-point lead at 47-37. WLU would take a seven-point lead into the locker room at 52-45.

After the intermission, a game-altering 31-16 run by West Liberty helped WLU to take a game-high 22-point lead at 86-61. Facing a significant deficit, the Warriors never gave up. ESU shot 11-16 from the field after that, knocking down 5-8 from 3-point land and 8-12 from the charity stripe. Pepin and McAliley combined for 19 points in the scoring run.

With both defenses playing full-court press, ESU totaled 26 turnovers, while WLU turned over possession 16 times. 

ESU is back in action on Nov. 20, when the Warriors open PSAC play on the road at Slippery Rock. Game time is slated for 3:00 p.m. in Western Pa.