EAST STROUDSBURG – Led by 16 points from
Lakeem McAliley and the Warrior defense that forced 25 turnovers, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team downed Shepherd, 74-58, on senior day at Koehler Fieldhouse.
The win for the Warriors (20-7, 14-7 PSAC) secured its 14th 20-win season in program history and improved its chances at a home playoff game with the regular season winding down next week. The Rams drop to 13-13 and 10-10 in conference action, as they look to clinch a postseason berth on Wednesday.
Prior to the contest, the ESU department of athletics honored seniors Sam McCoy (team manager),
David Duda Jr.,
Mike Millsip,
Marc Rodriguez and
Carlos Pepin for their contributions on the court, in the community and in the classroom.
Notables
- McAliley paced the game with 16 points, while bringing down five rebounds and totaled three steals, turning the ball just once. Jaelen McGlone added 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Cheltenham native distributed five assists and stole possession away twice.
- Carlos Pepin also reached double-figures in scoring for the 26th time this season, pouring in 11 points. He led the Warriors off the glass with six rebounds.
- David Duda Jr. buried three of his four attempts from beyond the arc for nine points on the day. Justin Paz posted eight points and five assists and three steal. Davon Lee contributed seven points, four assists and three steals.
- The Warriors held advantages in field goal percentage (46.4%-46%), assists (16-11), steals (15-7), points off turnovers (20-5), points in the paint (34-28), fastbreak points (11-4) and had 16 less turnovers (25-9)
- ESU took a 16-point lead at halftime (42-26), as both teams were even over the final 20 minutes (32-32).
- Daniel McClain-Corley, who led SU with 32 points in its win over ESU earlier this season on January 18, was held to 14 points this time around. Carson Poffenberger also reached double-figures with 13 points.
How It Happened
- It was a defensive battle in the first half, as neither team was able to get separation on the scoreboard early on. After SU took a 6-0 lead, ESU scored eight consecutive points for its first lead at 8-6.
- As the teams continued to trade buckets and points, ESU used a 10-2 sprint to take a six-point lead at 26-20 with six minutes remaining in the first half. Duda Jr. caught fire with three triples over the final six minutes, as the Warriors closed the first half strong with a 17-6 surge to take a 42-26 lead into the locker room at Koehler Fieldhouse. During that stretch, ESU downed 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc and forced four Shepherd turnovers.
- ESU looked to avoid allowing a comeback victory for the second consecutive contest, as the Warriors inflated its edge to 21 at 49-28 following a quick 7-2 sprint, featuring a Lee 3-pointer and dunks from McAliley and Pepin.
- The Rams used a 12-3 sprint to slice the deficit to 12 at the 12:01 mark, getting back into the game by allowing the Warriors to shoot just 1-of-7 during nearly five minutes of clock and countered with a mark of 5-of-7 from the floor.
- McAliley and McGlone sparked a 19-9 run over eight minutes, turning the 12-point advantage to 21 after combing to produce 12 points. ESU knocked down 7-of-10 in the eight-minute span with just 4:01 remaining.
- With the game on hand late, ESU increased its lead to as high as 22 at 71-49, SU closed strong by scoring nine of the final 12 points of the game, for the final score of 74-58.
Up Next
- ESU closes the regular season at Lock Haven on Wednesday and will have a bye on the final Saturday of the season on Sat., Feb. 25. Stay tuned to @ESUWarriors on social media and esuwarrirors.com for the latest updates.
