EAST STROUDSBURG – Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the No. 14/20 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team came as close as four points with under two minutes to play, but ultimately fell to West Chester, 86-81, on Saturday afternoon inside a raucous Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (14-3, 8-3 PSAC) suffer just their third loss of the season and their second consecutive. The Golden Rams (12-5, 7-4 PSC) snap a six-game losing streak against East Stroudsburg with the victory.

Jaelen McGlone tied for a game-high 18 points and four assists, while Lakeem McAliley and Carlos Pepin each tallied double-doubles with 15 points and 10 rebounds each.

Notables

• A total of five Warriors registered 10-plus points on the afternoon, with Mike Millsip posting 12 points (3-3 FG), while Justin Paz finished with 10 points.
• Six Golden Rams reached double-figures in scoring for WCU, with Joshua Walker leading the way with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
• WCU had a strong advantage in the paint, outscoring the Warriors by a 44-26 mark. The Golden Rams attempted just 11 3-pointers and made four attempts.
• The Warriors forced 18 turnovers and picked up eight steals on the afternoon, but the Golden Rams made 31-of-60 attempts (51.7%) from the floor, while ESU countered with a season-low mark of 25-63 (39.7%).
• With the Warrior loss and a Shippensburg 89-62 win over Kutztown, SU moves into sole possession of first place in the PSAC East, while ESU now ranks second, one game ahead of West Chester, Lock Haven, and Shepherd, who are all deadlocked in first-place with a 7-4 PSAC record.
• The loss for ESU snaps a six-game winning streak against West Chester and a eight-game winning streak at Koehler Fieldhouse.

How It Happened

• The two teams traded points to start, as a 6-0 Golden Rams run lifted WCU to a 14-8 lead at the 12:50 mark. David Duda Jr. snapped the run with a jumper, but ultimately West Chester put together a 13-5 run to take a 21-13 edge.
• With the Rams leading by nine points at 29-20, ESU fought back to a single possession with an 11-4 run, but WCU remained in the lead with a 5-0 counter, leading 37-31 with a minute left in the first half. The teams split the final 10 points, as West Chester held a 42-36 lead at halftime.
• It was West Chester that maintained momentum to start the second half, extending its lead to a game-high 15 points at 61-46 with 12:18 remaining.
• The Warriors fought back strong for the second consecutive game, inching closer with a 19-9 run to slice the WCU lead to 72-67.
• With three minutes to go, West Chester grabbed a double-digit lead at 80-69, but the Warriors furiously cut the deficit to four at 81-77 with 1:39 to go following McGlone's fourth 3-pointer of the game. ESU could not get any closer, as West Chester was able to fight off the late comeback for the final score of 86-81.

•  ESU will have a quick turnaround, battling Kutztown on Monday night. The opening tipoff at Keystone Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.