BOWIE, Md. – In another back-and-forth thriller to begin the 2022-23 season, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team hung on to defeat Bowie State, 110-100 on Saturday evening inside A.C. Jordan Arena to cap the Bowie State Tip-Off Classic.

With the win, the Warriors (2-0) begin the season undefeated through two games for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The Bulldogs (1-1) split its first two games of 2022-23.

Lakeem McAliley put together another monster performance, with his second double-double in two games this season. He registered a career-high 35 points and 13 rebounds, knocking down and efficient 12-of-15 attempts from the field, 9-of-10 from the free-throw line and both of his 3-point attempts. He also posted team-highs of three steals and a block and distributed two assists in 33 minutes of action.

Notables

• McAliley's 35 points are the most by a Warrior since Will Brown registered 37 points against Seton Hill in 2015-16. McALiley's 35 points are tied for the fifth most at ESU since 1985-86, with all-time leading scorer Jonathan Roberts scoring 35 at Kings in 1988.
• In two games this season, McAliley is averaging an even 30 points and 12.5 rebounds, while converting 74.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 3-4 takes from long distance.
• McAliley's big day was supplemented by both Jaelen McGlone (22 points, 6-13 FG, 7-8 FT, four rebounds, two assists and a steal) and Carlos Pepin (21 points, 9-13 FG, six rebounds, two assists and a block), who all recorded 20-plus points. The trio of Warriors combined for 78 points, making 27-of-41 (65.9%) attempts from the floor, 23 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks.
• Justin Paz also reached double-figures with 10 points and distributed a team-high four assists. He committed just one turnover in 25 minutes on the floor.
• Both teams made 56.5 percent of its field goal attempts. ESU led 32-31 on the battle of the boards. Despite the tight game, the only lead change occurred early in the first half when ESU rallied to take the lead. ESU held leads as high as 18 points and as low as a single point in the second half, but did not concede the lead.

How It Happened

• It was all Bowie early, with the Bulldogs building an early 13-1 advantage. ESU missed both its field goal attempts during the 2:20 of clock, as Bowie State knocked down 5 of its first seven attempts. The advantage didn't last long for BSU, as the Warriors instantly responded with a 13-3 scoring spree, with McAliley scoring a quick seven points in the 2:29 time of game clock.
• A McAliley 3-pointer tied the game at 20-20 and a free throw a few ticks of clock later gave ESU its first lead at 21-20, as ESU did not miss a field goal attempt (6-6 FG) in the 17-4 run that took just 3:27 of clock.
• Back in the game, ESU built a 33-24 lead following a 16-4 spree. Not looking back, ESU built a 16-point lead at 46-30 with 5:45 left in the first half. McAliley was responsible for 20 points in the 45-17 Warrior run, with McGlone adding nine points. BSU got back into the game with an 18-12 run to slice the deficit to 56-48. ESU increased the halftime lead to 12 at 60-48 after a layup from Shamir Johnson and a Pepin layup. McAliley totaled 20 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone for the Warriors.
• ESU built a game-high 18-point lead at 68-50. BSU inched back into the game, getting within four points of ESU at 89-84 with 6:25 to go after a 34-21 sprint, as the Bulldogs knocked down 13-15 attempts from the floor during the 10:35 span of clock. ESU committed five turnovers during that span to help BSU back into the contest. BSU got within a point of ESU at 91-90 with less than five minutes to go, but the Warriors responded with a 10-2 run, in which the Warriors knocked down all six of its free throw attempts.
• With ESU leading 101-92 with three minutes to go, both teams would trade points for the rest of the contest, as BSU could not get closer than 103-100, as Pepin put the game on ice by scoring five of the games final seven points in the 110-100 win.

Up Next

• The Warriors are set for their home opener on Sunday, Nov. 20 against D'Youville. The matchup with the Saints is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. inside Koehler Fieldhouse.