ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. -- Despite missing its first 11 field goal attempts, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team found its stroke, downing Molloy 91 to 68 on Wednesday night at Quealy Gymnasium.
The Warriors (3-3) pick up their third consecutive win and first non-conference victory of the season. The Lions drop to 1-7 after its first win in its previous game against District of Columbia.
Lakeem McAliley registered a season-best 29 points in just 22 minutes, knocking down 13-of-21 attempts from the field including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. The Philadelphia native also grabbed nine rebounds. The reigning PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week had another outstanding performance at both ends, posting five steals and two blocks against the Lions.
Troy Jones added 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 overall and 3-of-7 from 3-point land. Mike Millsip led the Warriors off the glass in a double-double performance with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He added three assists, two steals and a block.
Justin Paz continued his strong start to his season with his fifth consecutive double-figure output in points, recording 10 points, while distributing five assists.
The Warriors held advantages in rebounds (42-31), assists (23-16), turnovers (15-23), bench points (47-24), blocks (5-0), fastbreak points (16-10), steals (13-6), points off turnovers (23-15) and points in the paint (42-30).
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How it Happened
- Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate, as ESU began the contest shooting 0-11, but allowed just two points in the first eight minutes of action. The Warriors went on a 10-0 run to build an eight-point lead at 10-2.
- Molloy would cut the ESU lead to four points at 10-6. With the stifiling Warrior defensive full court press in full swing, ESU built a 21-11 advantage.
- The Lions would get within eight several times, but the Warriors would put together a 9-1 run to take a 38-24 lead into the locker room. After starting the contest 0-11 from the field, the Warriors found its rhythm, finishing the half by shooting 14-25.
- After the intermission, the Warriors took full control by extending its lead to 57-35 after a 7-0 run from McAliley himself, featuring a triple and a pair of layups.
- It was all ESU after that, lengthening its lead to as large as 36 at 78-42. With the game-in-hand, Molloy would cut the deficit to as low as 20 in the final minute of play, as the Warriors earned the 91-68 victory in the Empire State.
Notes
- Through his first six games, McAliley leads ESU with 16.2 points per game, shooting at an impressive clip of .551 from the field and .471 from beyond-the-arc. He is also averaging 5.2 rebounds per game, and has just nine turnovers in 127 minutes of action. The reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week, has totaled 11 steals and nine blocks over his past three games.
Up Next
- The Warriors host Georgian Court on Saturday, Dec. 11 in its final non-conference game of the season and last home game of the calendar year. The contest is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
- ESU will close 2021 on the road in PSAC crossover action against Edinboro (Dec. 18) and Mercyhurst (Dec. 19).
