EAST STROUDSBURG -- Holding an eight-point lead with 12 minutes left, the East Stroudsburg men's basketball team closed took control with a 23-8 run, to earn a 76-57 victory over Shepherd on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (16-7, 14-5 PSAC) take a step closer to securing a PSAC Tournament first round bye, while the Rams fall to 11-14, 7-12 in conference action.

Notables

• ESU was led by Troy Jones (17 points) and Lakeem McAliley, who combined for 36 points. Jones shot an impressive 5-of-7 from 3-point land. McAliley shot 7-of-11 from the field, pouring in 14 points over the final 12 minutes to secure the win for the Warriors.
• Justin Paz became the first Warrior since Jakwan Jones to distribute 10 assists in a single game. Paz added nine points, just a single tally away from a double-double performance. Jones tallied 10 assists against Millersville over three years ago on Jan. 30, 2018. In the 29-plus minutes Paz was on the court, he had a team-high plus/minus of 31.
• Carlos Pepin neared a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. He also provided three steals in 23 minutes of work.
• ESU held advantages in most categories, including field goal percentage (44.6% to 37.5) assists (19-7), turnovers (9-21), bench points (29-9), fast break points (16-5), steals (7-5), points off turnovers (28-10), points in the paint (34-26) and second-change points (16-12).  
• Shepherd entered Saturday coming off of an 18-point victory (89-71) over PSAC East first place Millersville. The win for the Rams snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Marauders.
• The Warriors have now earned wins in 12 of their last 15 games after a 4-4 start to the season.

How it Happened

• Both squads traded points to start the contest in the seventh-ever meeting between ESU and SU. With the score tied at 11-11 with 11:36 left in the opening half, ESU took control with an impressive 14-0 scoring run in just 3:29 of clock. ESU made 6-of-7 attempts from the field and forced six Ram turnovers in that span to jump to a solid 14-point lead.
• SU fired off back-to-back three pointers to cut the deficit to single digits. The Warriors countered with a 7-2 sprint as ESU grabbed 32-19 advantage with 4:16 left in the opening half. Shepherd outscored ESU 8-6 to close the first frame, as the Warriors entered the locker room with a 38-27 lead.
• ESU held a lead of at least eight points throughout the second half. With the Warriors leading 50-42, ESU clamped down defensively. Over the next 9:30 of clock, ESU outscored SU, 23-8, with the Rams turning the ball over six times in that span. McAiley shined for the Warriors offensively, with 14 of his 17 points coming during the stretch of time.
• With the game decided, SU scored seven of the final 10 points, as ESU earned the 76-57 victory.

Up Next

• The Warriors will have a quick turnaround, heading to Lock Haven on Monday evening.
• Tipoff between the Warriors and Bald Eagles is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Thomas Fieldhouse.