ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Behind a combined 45 points from
Justin Paz,
Tyshawn Trail and
Lakeem McAliley, along with a strong team performance from the free-throw line and off the glass, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team improved to 2-0 with an 84-78 win over Harbor of Hospitality Classic host Elizabeth City State on Saturday evening inside the R.L. Vaughan Center.
The Warriors (2-0) escape North Carolina with two wins in hand entering Wednesday's matchup with Molloy (0-3). The Vikings fall to 0-2 after dropping its first contest to Kutztown on Friday.
After a 37-37 tie at halftime, the Warriors built a 13-point second-half lead at 69-56 with just over seven minutes to play. Over the final 5:56, ECSU cut the deficit to as low as three points at 79-76 with just 39 seconds remaining, but Trail knocked down a jumper and free throw, along with Paz knocking down a pair of free throws with five seconds left to seal the win.
Notables
- Justin Paz led the game with 17 points on 4-8 shooting from the field, a 2-4 mark from 3-point range and made 7-8 attempts from the line. The Allentown native added two rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes.
- Tyshawn Trail poured in 15 points, making all five of his attempts from the stripe. He added four boards and a pair of steals.
- Lakeem McAliley nearly recorded his first double-double of 2023-24, knocking down 5-9 shots from the field, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
- Nasir Griffin added nine points and two rebounds, while Jalen McGlone totaled eight points.
- Jalen Pichardo grabbed seven rebounds and totaled three assists. Shamir Johnson led ESU with four assists.
- While the Vikings shot more efficiently from the floor (47.0% to 40.9%), the Warriors nearly doubled the Viking' trips to the free throw line then ECSU (25-31 to 11-16). ESU took care of business from the stripe, knocking down 80.6 percent of its free throws. Through two contests, ESU had made 46-59 of its free throw attempts, sinking free throws at a .780 clip.
- The Warriors have showed its depth through two contests, with five Warriors averaging at least nine points, led by Tyshawn Trail's 16 points per game through two contests. A total of 10 Warriors are averaging at least 13 minutes on the floor, with 10 ESU players knocking down at least one field goal against ECSU.
- ECSU were ledby Michael Eags Jr. (13 pts., 7 reb.), Reggie Raynor (13 pts, 6 reb.) and Jaquantae Harris (12 pts.)
- ESU led in rebounds (39-32), points off turnovers (16-13) and second-chance points (23-10). A total of 53 fouls were called.
How It Happened
- The Warriors built a first-half high seven-point lead at 12-5 following a Carson Howard layup. ECSU did not allow the lead to grow, as the teams continued to trade points, with ESU maintaining a lead. ESU took a four-point lead with under a minute in the opening half after a Paz triple, but the Vikings added two jumpers late in the half for the 37-37 tie after 20 minutes.
- In the first five minutes of the second half, ESU used a 14-4 run to start the half to build a double-digit lead at 52-41. After extending its lead to a game-high 13 points at 69-56 with 7:07 to play, the Vikings buckled down. Holding an eight-point edge with 2:05 remaining, ECSU cut the deficit to just three at 77-74 with 92 seconds remaining, but ESU held strong and didn't relinquish its lead to hold on to win, 84-78.
Up Next
- The Warriors look to improve to 3-0 on Wed., Nov. 15, when ESU heads to Rockville Centre, N.Y. to face Molloy. Game time against the Lions is set for 7:00 p.m.
