INDIANA, Pa. – It was a back-and-forth battle that saw 15 lead changes, with neither team led by more than nine points, as the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team came up just short in a 72-66 loss to Mercyhurst in the NCAA Tournament First Round on Saturday afternoon at IUP's Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.   

The No. 6 seed Warriors (23-9) see its 2022-23 season come to a close with the tough loss. The No. 3 seed and No. 16/14 ranked Lakers (25-5) advance to the NCAA Second Round and will play the winner of No. 2 seed West Liberty and No. 7 seed Pitt-Johnstown on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

Mercyhurst held a five-point lead at 66-61 with 1:57 to go, as Lakeem McAliley cut the deficit to just two as a hoop-and-harm resulted in a 3-point play to make it a single possession at 66-64 with 33 seconds remaining. McAliley was able to record a clutch steal, as the Warriors called timeout with 33 seconds remaining. A 3-pointer looked good off the hands of Shamir Johnson, but unfortunately for the Warriors, the shot clanked off the rim.

After a Laker layup, Pepin scored what would-be his final collegiate points on a layup himself, slicing the deficit to just two points. ESU was forced to foul with just 19 seconds to go, as Mercyhurst went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 20 seconds to put the game on ice at 72-66.  

Notables

• Pepin powered the Warriors, with 25 points, including 17 in the first half. He shot 10-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. He tied with McAliley for the team lead with seven rebounds and distributed a team-high three assists. His 25 points matches his career-postseason high, which he set against Shippensburg last season in the PSAC Quarterfinals. In NCAA Tournament games, Pepin's 25 points ranks sixth-most in 14 NCAA Tournament games that ESU has participated in.
• McAliley also reached double-figures with 13 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting. Along with seven boards, the All-PSAC East First Team selection picked up a crucial steal with the game up for grabs.
• Davon Lee added eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Justin Paz added seven points and three rebounds.
• ESU had a strong presence off the glass, out-rebounding 'Hurst 41-21 and held a 17-4 edge in second-chance points. The Warriors led 40-26 in points in the paint.
• The Warriors, who rank 5th nationally in turnovers forced with an average of 18.9 could not stymy the Laker offense. The Lakers turned the ball over just seven times, as ESU committed 24 turnovers. As a result, 'Hurst led 30-8 in points off turnovers.
• Pepin closes his storied Warrior career with 1,204 points (18th in program history), 654 rebounds (10th), 133 steals (11th) and 53 blocks (T-17th) in 100 career games.
• This season, Pepin's 587 points ranks sixth most in a single season (most since Jonathan Roberts' season record of 689). His 287 rebounds ranks eighth among all Warriors in a season, with his output being the highest since all-time leading rebounder Jonathan Roberts posted 332 in 1989-90. His 14 double-doubles on the campaign are the most since at least 2002-03.
• McAliley's .588 field goal percentage ranks 10th among all Warriors in a single season.
• Through 20 seasons, head coach Jeff Wilson sports a 381-197 career record. He sits fifth all-time in the PSAC in career wins. He has guided ESU to an NCAA Tournament berth in seven of the past 14 seasons.
• David Duda Jr. sets a new season-record for 3-point field goal percentage, sinking 49 percent (51-104) of his long range attempts. His .417 clip during his career ranks fifth among all Warriors. He entered the this season with a .259 3-point percentage, elevating his career-percentage by nearly 50 percent in one season.
• Marc Rodriguez closes his Warrior career ranked fifth in 3-point field goals made with 175.

How it Happened

• As previously mentioned, the tight battle did not feature a double-digit lead at any point throughout the 40 minutes in Indiana. It took 18 minutes for either team to build a two-possession edge, with the Warriors taking a 33-28 advantage after a pair of Pepin free throws. The Warriors were able to enter the locker rooms at halftime with a 35-32 lead. The opening 20 minutes featured 10 lead changes and eight tied scores, with ESU leading for 8:28 of the 20 minutes.
• ESU opened the second-half scoring, but the Lakers would steal momentum. In total, a 19-5 Laker run lifted the Lakers to a game-high nine-point lead at 51-42 with 12:41 to play.
• With the Lakers leading 60-51 with 7:47 to go, ESU made its move towards a comeback with 10-2 sprint, slicing the MU lead to just a single point at 60-59.
• MU built a five-point edge at 66-61 with less than two minutes to go, but McAliley used a 3-point swing on an and-one layup and sunk the free-throw to make it a 66-64 game with 1:41 to go.
• McAliley forced one of the Lakers' seven turnovers on the afternoon when it mattered most in crunch time, giving the Warriors possession with 1:16 to go down two points. The Warriors got a great look at a 3-pointer, but ultimately didn't bounce ESU's way.
• With the Warriors forced to foul down two with less than 40 second remaining, the Lakers made all four of its free throw attempts late to advance to the NCAA Second Round with a 72-66 victory.

Up Next

• With the loss, the Warriors wrap up the season with a 23-9 record, posting its 14th 20-win season in program history and its eighth season where it has reached the NCAA Tournament.