EAST STROUDSBURG -- In front of a boisterous crowd, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team fended off a late West Chester comeback to earn a 73-69 victory at Koehler Fieldhouse on Monday afternoon.

The Warriors (10-5, 8-3 PSAC) earned their fourth consecutive win and their 10th victory over its past 12 games, while the Golden Rams fall to 9-6, 4-6 in PSAC action.

Justin Paz led ESU with a game-high 17 points, shooting an efficient 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3-point land. He added three assists and a steal with just one turnover in 33 minutes played.  

With the win and Shippensburg's loss 69-68 loss to Kutztown, ESU moves to just a single game back of the Raiders for first place in the PSAC East. Millersville defeated Lock Haven 71-49 to remain a half-game behind the Warriors for second place in the east division standings.

Notables

• Joining Paz in double-figures were Troy Jones (12 pts.), Marc Rodriguez (11 pts.), and Carlos Pepin (10 pts.)
• Pepin, who was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Week earlier in the day, led the charge off the boards with eight rebounds and also earned a steal and block.
• Lakeem McAliley added eight points.
• The Warriors shot an impressive 81.0 percent from the free-throw line, making its first 16 attempts in the first half.
• ESU took advantage of WCU's 19 turnovers, which led to 23 Warrior points.
• WCU was led in scoring by Matt Dade and Jamil Manigo's 13 points. Kyle McGee posted a game-high 10 rebounds, while Dame Wall distributed six assists. 

How it Happened

• ESU came out of the gate strong. With the Warriors leading 8-7, ESU jumped ahead with a 20-6 sprint over the next 5:20 of clock. ESU made 6-of-10 field goals and went 6-6 from the line during that span. The relentless full-court press defense forced seven early turnovers, as ESU led 28-13 with 9:07 remaining in the first half.
• Unfortunately for ESU, the Paz triple that extended the Warrior lead to 15 points would nearly be the Red and Black's last field goal for the final nine minutes of the first half. ESU grabbed a game-high 16-point lead following a pair of Jones free throws at 30-14 with 7:34 left in the half.
• West Chester got back into the game by closing the half on a 13-5 run over the final  four-plus minutes, as Paz would end the field goal drought with a trey with 20 seconds left in the half. ESU led 39-33 after 20 minutes. The Warriors took advantage of the free throw opportunities when given, converting all 16 attempts during the opening half.
• The Warriors would retake double-digit leads several times to begin the second half, but the Golden Rams fought right back. With 15:56 remaining and ESU leading by 12 at 54-42, WCU stormed back with a 14-6 run over the next 6:58 of clock, cutting the deficit to just two points at 58-56. Mike Ramos ended the skid the a layup off a dime from Davon Lee, while Pepin followed with a clutch 3-pointer to lift ESU to a seven-point lead.
• Rodriguez extended the advantage back to nine with a 3-pointer after a WCU free throw with 5:41 left, but once again the Golden Rams sliced the ESU advantage back to one possession several times over the final four minutes.
• After a pair of Golden Ram free throws made the contest a three-point game at 72-69 with 2:18 remaining, Jones would convert a great pass from Rodriguez for a layup to extend the advantage back to five at 72-67.
• West Chester followed with a layup with 40 seconds left to make it one possession game, but Pepin would make his second of two free throws with 10 seconds left to put the game on ice. ESU held on to defeat West Chester for the fifth consecutive meeting by a score of 73-69.

Up Next

• ESU looks to extend its winning streak to five on Wednesday when the Warriors face Shepherd at 7:30 p.m.
• The Warriors return to Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. against current first-place Shippensburg.