BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Led by a pair of 20-point performances from Troy Jones and Lakeem McAliley, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team got back to its winning ways with an 86-66 win over Bloomsburg on Monday evening inside Nelson Field House.

With the victory, the Warriors improve to 12-6, 10-4 PSAC, while Bloomsburg falls to 3-14, 2-11 in conference action.

The 22-point output for Jones is a new career-best for the Trenton native, who topped his season-high of 21 points set against Mercyhurst in December. Jones shot 53 percent (8-13 FG), swishing four triples on seven attempts. He stuffed the stat sheet with three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals in 33 minutes of work.

McAliley put together a solid performance, reaching double-figures for the second time over his last eight games after a previous stretch of nine consecutive 10-plus point performances. He shot 9-of-15 from the floor and added three rebounds and two steals. His 20 points are a personal best against a  PSAC foe this season. The Philadelphia native posted a season-high 29 points against Molloy in December.

With ESU trailing by three points with 7:52 remaining in the first half, the Warriors grabbed control of the contest by shutting out the Huskies for the remainder of the half, as ESU scored 14 unanswered points. Overall, the Warriors outscored Bloomsburg 46-20 from the middle of the first half to the middle of the second half, flipping the score from a Bloomsburg lead of 22-19 to an insurmountable Warrior lead of 72-46 with six-plus minutes remaining.

Notables

• Joining Jones and McAliley in double-figures was Justin Paz, who made half of his eight field goal attempts, including a 3-of-6 mark from 3-point land. He distributed three assists.
• Marc Rodriguez also contributed three treys, shooting an efficient 3-of-5 from long range. He led the warriors with five assists, along with scoring nine points.
• Pacing the Warriors in rebounds was Carlos Pepin, who brought down nine boards.
• Bloomsburg was led by Justin Anderson (19 points), Peyton Mortellite (14 points) and Travis Elmore. Jake Nelson cleaned the glass with a game-high 12 rebounds.
• After shooting just 3-of-17 from on 3-pointers against Shippensburg, the Warriors found their stroke by swishing 10 triples on 24 attempts.
• ESU turned the ball over just 10 times (one off their season low) in the 40 minutes of action, while the Warrior full-court press defense forced 22 Husky turnovers. The contest marked the fifth time that ESU forced at least 22 turnovers this season.
• The Warriors took advantage of the Bloomsburg turnovers with 28 points off turnovers, compared to just seven from BU. ESU's bench outscored Bloom by a 34-11 margin.
• Since 2012-13, ESU owns a 15-2 record against Bloomsburg.  
• The contest was a makeup date, originally scheduled for January 10, but was postponed due to health and safety precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How it Happened

• The Warriors came out of the gate hot, scoring the first seven points of the contest. Trailing 12-4, Bloomsburg stormed back into the contest with an 11-0 run to take a lead at 15-12. BU did not miss a field goal during the 1:18 minute of stretch, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.
• A Jones layup would stop the scoreless skid, as ESU would then retake the lead at 17-15 following a triple from Jones.
• The teams traded points until a quick 5-0 run lifted BU to a 22-19 lead with 11:04 to go in the first half. With Bloomsburg holding on to a 29-26 lead, ESU did not allow a field goal the remaining 7:52 of the first half, as the Warriors raced to an 11-point halftime lead at 40-29. ESU shot 6-of-13 during that stretch, led by six points from Rodriguez, while Bloomsburg could not make its final eight attempts in the half and turned the ball over six times over the final 7:52.
• BU looked to regroup and scored the first four points of the second half, as ESU answered to retake an 11-point lead.
• Leading 44-37, ESU looked to put the game once ice early on in the second half with a 10-1 run to increase its lead to 54-38 with 14:12 to go. Ultimately, ESU took total control with a 32-17 run to start the second half, as ESU led 72-46 with 6:51 remaining. McAliley provided 11 of his 20 points during the stretch of nearly 13 minutes of clock. The efficient Warriors took control by shooting 14-25 and limiting Bloomsburg to 7-19 and eight turnovers in that span.
• With the 26-point lead and just 6:51 left, the Warriors kept at least an 18-point lead the rest of the way, cruising to a 20-point victory at 86-66.

Up Next

• The Warriors continue their road trip on Wednesday, when ESU travels to Kutztown for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
• After an away matchup at Millersville on Saturday, ESU returns to Koehler Fieldhouse on Mon., February 7 at 7:30 p.m. against Kutztown.