EAST STROUDSBURG – Trailing by 20 points with 12:45 remaining, the No. 25 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team whittled the deficit to as low as four points late, but ultimately fell to Lock Haven, 83-73, on Thursday inside Koehler Fieldhouse.

With the loss, the Warriors (15-4, 9-4 PSAC) drop to a tie for second place with the Bald Eagles (13-5, 9-4) in the PSAC Standings. Shippensburg (12-7, 10-3 PSAC) remains in first-place after defeating Shepherd on Wednesday night.

Lakeem McAliley paced the Warriors with 17 points and picked up three rebounds and three steals to lead ESU. Justin Paz totaled 16 points and six assists, while David Duda Jr. also reached double-figures with 11 points. Carlos Pepin led ESU in rebounds with seven boards.

Notables

• Pacing Lock Haven was Jayy Davis, who registered a game-high 22 points, with 17 occurring in the first half. Dymir Montague posted 16 points, while James Price added 11 points.
• The loss for ESU snaps a seven-game winning streak against LHU and a 10-game winning streak at Koehler Fieldhouse against the Bald Eagles. The last time Lock Haven defeated ESU in the Poconos was Dec. 18, 2012. The Warriors still lead the all-time series by a 44-28 mark.
• The Warriors were held to a season-worst 35.3 shooting percentage from the floor. ESU struggled in the first half, making 9-of-31 attempts from the field, and bounced back to shoot 40.54 percent during the final 20 minutes.

How It Happened

• It was a defensive struggle in the first half. With ESU holding a 9-7 edge as, Lock Haven used a 10-0 scoring spree to grab a 19-12 scoreboard lead. The Warriors cut the deficit back to single digits following six consecutive points from Duda Jr. on a 3-pointer along with a hoop and harm three-point play.
• The Bald Eagles countered with a game-altering 20-6 sprint, grabbing an 18-point lead at 39-21. During the final 1:49, ESU closed the half strong with seven of the final nine points of the contest, as LHU led 41-28 at the break.
• After ESU sliced the LHU advantage to 11, the Bald Eagles took control again with a 15-6 spring, taking a game-high 20-pt lead with 12:45 left. The Warriors scored the next nine points in just over two minutes of clock, to bring the LHU edge back to 11 points at 59-48 with 10:10 to go.
• The relentless Warriors - who matched a Jeff Wilson era record with a 19-point comeback win on Monday night - brought the contest back to four points at 68-64 following a 14-7 spree, but the ball didn't bounce the Warriors' way the final 2:23 of clock, with Lock Haven escaping Koehler Fieldhouse with an 83-73 win.

Up Next

• The No. 25 Warriors (15-4, 9-4 PSAC) look to upset No. 1 IUP (19-0, 13-0 PSAC) on the road on Saturday.
• Tipoff at the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex is set for 3:00 p.m.