EAST STROUDSBURG -- After forcing 23 takeaways and scoring 62 points in the paint, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team cruised to an 87-53 victory over Bloomsburg on Wednesday night inside Koehler Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Warriors (15-7, 13-5 PSAC) do not lose ground with Millersville and Shippensburg at the top of the east division of the PSAC and remain in third place. The Huskies drop to 4-16, 3-13 in conference play.

ESU was led offensively once again by Lakeem McAliley, who scored 18 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting from the field and made 4-of-5 attempts from the stripe. He stuffed the stat sheet with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 20 minutes of action.

With the score tied at 14-14 near the mid-point of the first half, ESU exploded on a game-altering 30-6 scoring sprint to take the lead for good.

Notables

• Pepin and McAliley combined to shoot 14-23 from the field for 32 points, as Pepin scored 14 points himself. He grabbed three boards, earned a team-high four steals and also swatted a Husky shot.
• Davon Lee posted a freshman season-best 10 points, shooting an effect 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He distributed three assists.
• Fellow first-year Mike Ramos also impressed with nine points, swishing a 3-pointer while being fouled and took away three Bloomsburg possessions.
• Marc Rodriguez, who moved into fifth place all-time at ESU in 3-pointers (163) in the first half, finished with eight points on two triples. Rodriguez passed Juwan Justice (1998-02) on the all-time 3-pointers list.
• Zach Sabol also contributed eight points.
• Mike Millsip finished with six points, a game-high nine rebounds amd five assists.
• Along with Millsip's five dimes, Justin Paz also contributed five assists.
• In just six minutes of play left and the game decided, Jack Farrell posted six rebounds.
• ESU held significant advantages in most categories including field goal percentage (47.4%-36.8%), assists (26-14), turnovers (9-23), bench points (49-10), fast break points (27-9), steals (15-6), points off turnovers (30-6), points in the paint (62-28) and second-chance points (16-8).
• The Warriors' 15 steals matches the season-high, set against Wheeling in the first game of the season and matched at Kutztown earlier this month. ESU's 26 assists were the most at home this season and just one helper away from matching the season-best output of 27 against Mansfield. The Warriors also matched season-bests in turnovers (9).

How It Happened

• Despite the lopsided score, both teams traded points to start the contest. After a McAliley layup tied the contest at 14-14, ESU took full control of the game with a game-deciding 30-6 scoring surge. The scoring spree lasted nearly 10 minutes of game clock, as McAliley paced the Warrior offense with 12 of the 30 points scored. Bloomsburg was held in check, shooting 3-of-8 from the field and committed 10 turnovers during that stretch.
• With ESU doubling up BU at 40-22, with 2:22 to go, both squads scored four points as ESU went into the locker room with a sizeable lead at 46-24. McAliley and Pepin combined for 24 points in the first half to pace ESU.
• Following the intermission, ESU's 22-point lead did not dip below 19 points, as the Warriors cruised the rest of the way. The scoreboard advantage grew as high as 37 points, as ESU earned victory number 15 on the season.

Up Next

• The Warriors will have a week, enjoying a bye week this Saturday. ESU is back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at home against Mansfield. The opening tip against the Mounties is set for 7:30 p.m.
• ESU will close its regular season home schedule on Sat., Feb. 19 for Senior Day, when the Warriors host Shepherd.