CALIFORNIA, Pa. – After suffering its first loss via a buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Sunday, the No. 25 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team bounced back in a big way to defeat California (Pa.), 89-76 on Monday afternoon at the Convocation Center.  

The Warriors (9-1, 3-1 PSAC) get back to its winning ways, while the Vulcans (4-6, 1-3 PSAC) fall for the third time over its past four matchups.

Carlos Pepin led the four Warriors in double-figures with 21 points and 15 rebounds in his second consecutive double-double and his fourth this season. He also added two assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action on the court. Over the past two days against Seton Hill and California (Pa.), the Lodi, N.J. native has combined for 38 points, 30 rebounds eight assist and three steals. Pepin is now tied with Chris Bach (2006-09) for fifth in the Jeff Wilson era with 13 career double-doubles.

Notables

• Joining Pepin with 10-plus points were Justin Paz (15 pts., 5-7 3PT), Jalen McGlone (14 pts., 5 reb., 6 assists, 2 steals) and Mike Millsip (10 pts., 5-7 FG, 6 reb.). Lakeem McAliley and Shamir Johnson and Mike Ramos each totaled eight points in the balanced scoring effort.
• Paz scored 12 of 15 points during the first 3:22 of the second half, catching fire from 3-point land with four triples.
• ESU led 22-10 on assists, 7-2 on steals, 15-5 on points off turnovers, while both teams registered 40 points in the paint.
• The Warriors posted on of its best performances from long-distance this season, draining 12 of its 25 attempts from beyond the arc and held the Vulcans to shoot just 4-of-25. Six different Warriors accounted for the 12 triples, with Paz's five treys leading the way.
• No Warrior had more than two turnovers, as the team totaled just 11 in 40 minutes of action.
• Pepin has registered double-figures in all 10 games this season and in 13 consecutive contests dating back to Feb., 23 2022.
• The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Warriors as a nationally-ranked team, as ESU fell to Seton Hill (12/18/22), Shaw (11/11/18), Saint Augustine's (11/10/18), and New Haven (11/30/14) in its last four games as a ranked team.

How It Happened 

• It was an even start for the two squads. Holding a 24-20 lead, the Warriors extended its lead to double-digits following a 14-7 run to grab at 38-27 advantage. The two teams traded points the final four minutes of action, as the Warriors would head to the locker room with a 13-point advantage at 49-36.
• The Warriors began the second half with an impressive 18-5 scoring spree, in which ESU made seven of its first nine attempts from the field, including four of Paz's five 3-pointers in that span.  ESU held a 67-41 lead at the 16:25 mark.
• The Vulcans trimmed its deficit to 20 points at 69-49, but ESU built a game-high 28-point lead at 81-53 with 9:08 to go. With the game in hand, the Vulcans outscored the Warriors 23-8 over the final eight and a half minutes, but ultimately ran out of time for the final score of 89-76 in favor of ESU.

Up Next

• After the holiday break, ESU returns to Koehler Fieldhouse one last time in the calendar year on Dec. 30 against Slippery Rock. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. against The Rock.
• The Warriors begin its PSAC East slate on January 4 at Shippensburg.