EAST STROUDSBURG -- In its last non-conference game of the regular season and the final home game of the calendar year, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team sent its fans home happy with a dominant 94-55 victory over Georgian Court on Saturday night inside Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (4-3) posted scoring runs of 23-0 and 18-0 to jump to a big first half lead and owned the paint, outscoring the Lions (2-7) 62-18 in the key.

Carlos Pepin put together his third double-double over his past four games, registering 22 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the floor. He became the fifth Warrior sine 2002-03 to not miss a field goal with a minimum of eight attempts and became the first since Steve Harris made all 10 of his field goal attempts against Bloomsburg during the 2017-18 season. He brought down 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. The native of Lodi, N.J. outscored Georgian Court himself in the first half, with 17 points to GCU's 16.

Justin Paz (13 points), Troy Jones (12 points), Mike Millsip (11 points) and Lakeem McAliley (10 points) all reached double-figures, while Marc Rodriguez was a point shy at nine points. Millsip added seven rebounds, while McAliley totaled five caroms. Paz led the Warriors with four assists.

With the game tied at 4-4 with 16:44 remaining in the first half, ESU scored 23 consecutive points to take a 27-4 lead with 7:04 remaining. During the game-altering stretch, the Warriors shot 10-of-15 from the field, with seven Warrior recording points led by Pepin's seven during the 9:40 scoreless stretch from Georgian Court. Overall, the relentless Warrior defense forced 17 consecutive stops, with the Lions shooting 0-11 from the field and gave up possession six times via turnover.  

As Georgian Court looked to gain momentum with a 7-0 run, ESU finished the first half on fire, putting together an 18-0 run to build a 34-point lead at 48-14. The Lions would end the run with a few ticks of clock left, heading into the locker room with a 48-16 deficit.

94 points is a season-best for ESU, who shot a 2021-22 best 58.7 percent from the floor. The Warriors made just four 3-pointers (4-of-16 3PT), but dominated the paint with 62 points compared to just 18 from GCU. The Lions were held to just 25 percent in the first half (6-24), before finishing the game with a shooting percentage of 37.3 percent.
 

How it Happened

• Georgian Court scored first, which would be its final lead of the contest. Jones would put the Warriors on the board with a free throw and Paz would knock down a triple as ESU earned its first lead at 4-2. After the Lions tied the contest on a jumper, it was all ESU for the next nine-plus minutes of action.
•  After 23 consecutive Warrior points, GCU would claw back to within 16 points at 30-14 with 4:35 remaining. Once again, ESU flexed its muscles with an impressive 18-0 run, with Pepin scoring 10 of his 22 points during the final 3:47 of the first half. ESU shot 8-of-10 from the field in the span, as GCU missed three shots and turned the ball over four times.  ESU would head into the intermission with a 48-16 lead.
• After the break, the teams traded points until an 8-0 ESU run would lift the Warriors to a game-high 43 points at 71-28 with 11:25 on the clock.
• With the game all but decided, the Lions would cut its deficit to as low as 34, as ESU earned its fourth victory and improve to above .500 for the first time this season with a 94-55 win over Georgian Court.

Notes

Pepin joins Steve Harris (10-10 FG, at Bloomsburg, 2017-2018),. Quindell Brice (at Bloomsburg, 2016-17), Terrance King (vs. St. Thomas Aquinas, 2011-12), Andy Heimback (2x, vs. PSU-Wilkes in 2008-09 and Queens in 2007-08) and Ryan Sweet (vs. Millersville, 2004-05).

Coming Up

• ESU heads west next weekend, facing Edinboro Dec. 18 and nationally-ranked Mercyhurst (Dec. 19) in PSAC crossover action. Both contests will begin at 3:00 p.m.
• The Warriors open 2022 on the road at Mansfield on Jan. 5, before finally returning home to Koehler Fieldhouse on January 8th against Kutztown.