SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- In a meeting of the top two teams in the PSAC East standings, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team would come out on top in a defensive battle to top first-place Shippensburg, 59-54, on Saturday afternoon at Heiges Field House.

The Warriors improve to 7-5, 5-3 in PSAC action, while the Raiders suffer their first divisional loss of the season and are now 10-4, 7-2 in conference play.

The back-and-forth contest featured 12 lead changes and nine ties, with Mike Millsip, Carlos Pepin and Marc Rodriguez all contributing 13 points in the road victory to lead ESU.

Notables

• Troy Jones added eight points, cleaned the glass with nine rebound and tied Davon Lee with a team-high four assists.
• Millsip added eight boards while Lakeem McAliley added six caroms and contributed four points.
• ESU held Shippensburg to shoot just 37 percent (21-57) from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc (7-22).
• It's the fewest points in a win for ESU since defeating Gannon 52-46 on Dec., 2 2012 in Erie.
• After an 0-3 start on the road, the Warriors have now won four of their past five away matchups, including defeating then No. 3 Mercyhurst and now PSAC East first-place Shippensburg.

How it Happened

• A low-scoring start featured just six combined points before the first media timeout after the four-minute mark.
• Both teams continued to trade buckets. ESU held a 16-12 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half.
• After a 9-0 sprint by the Raiders lifted Ship to a 21-16, advantage, the Warrior defense clamped down. ESU did not allow a Raider field goal the final 5:53 in the first half, as the Warriors would score 11 of the final 13 points in the first half, including an 11-0 run to grab 27-23 halftime advantage.
• Through 20 minutes, ESU held Ship to shoot just 32 percent (8-25) and forced nine turnovers. Rodriguez paced the Warrior offense with eight points in the first half, while Troy Jones grabbed seven rebounds during the opening half.
• Shippensburg would score five of the first seven points to get within one point of ESU at 29-28 with 15:52 left in the opening half. Both teams would trade points as neither team could gain separation.
• Shippensburg would grab its first second lead of the second half at 43-42, but Millsip's third 3-pointer of the contest would lift ESU back to the lead. The Raiders then countered with a layup, as the Ship would take a 43-42 lead into the under-eight media timeout.
• Rodriguez swished his third triple after a pump fake, lifting ESU to a 45-43 lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation.
• A Millsip layup would put the Warriors back on top at 51-49 with 2:20 left. The full court press defense would force a bad pass off the leg of a Raider, as head coach Jeff Wilson would take a 30-second timeout with 2:15 left in the contest.
• A Rodriguez jumper would increase the Warrior lead temporarily to 53-49, but a quick jumper would slice the Warrior lead to 53-51 with 1:11 remaining.
• After a full timeout by the Raiders on its next possession, Carlos Pepin would come up with a crucial block as Jones would grab the ensuing layup with 47 seconds.
• Following an ESU timeout with just 47 seconds, Pepin would convert a layup in close to extend the Warrior lead to two possessions at 55-51. Following two made free throws by Pepin, Ship's Jake Biss would bury a triple to get back within three points at 57-54 with just 11 seconds remaining. Troy Jones converted the final two free throws to put the game on ice, as ESU snapped Shippensburg's eight-game win streak with a 59-54 victory on the road.  The Warriors came up clutch offensively late, making four of their final five field goal attempts.

Up Next

• The Warriors begin a three-game home stretch on Wed., Jan. 19 against Lock Haven at 7:30 p.m.
• ESU will then host PSAC West foe Gannon on Sat., Jan. 22 and West Chester on Mon., Jan. 24.