SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – In a back-and-forth affair that saw 12 lead changes and seven tied scores, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team stayed within six points of No. 3/2 IUP the entire 40 minutes, ultimately falling to the Crimson Hawks, 67-64, in the PSAC Semifinal round on Saturday afternoon at Heiges Field House.
The Warriors (23-8) awaits to see if it has earned one of five available NCAA Tournament Division II Atlantic Region at-large berths. The Crimson Hawks (29-1) advance to the PSAC Championship on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
ESU built a 11-point first half lead, before the Crimson Hawks lowered the deficit to five by halftime. IUP began the second half strong, with the teams consistently trading points. With under a minute to play in the second half, IUP's Ethan Portfield sunk a triple to extend the lead to six, before ESU cut it to four points with a
Davon Lee floater made it a four-point game.
After a Crimson Hawk free throw made it a five-point lead, a desperation 3-pointer by McGlone cut the deficit to just two with 10 seconds remaining. IUP missed one of two ensuring free throws with eight seconds remaining, ESU called timeout and setup a potential game-tying 3-pointer for
Carlos Pepin, but the shot just missed, as the Crimson Hawks escaped with a 67-64 win.
Notables
- Lakeem McAliley poured in 19 points to lead ESU in scoring. Carlos Pepin contributed his 14th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jaelen McGlone also contributed double digits in points with 13. He grabbed seven rebounds. Justin Pax led the Warriors with four assists.
- IUP was led by Ethan Porterfield, who recorded 20 points. Shawndale Jones and Dave Morris both added 16 points. Tomiwa Silaiman neared a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
- ESU led the majority of the game, also holding edges in field goal percentage (23-54), rebounding (37-31), points in the paint (30-26) and second-chance points (19-11).
- ESU, ranked No. 8 in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region rankings released on Wednesday, hopes its postseason wins over Shepherd and West Chester, along with playing the Crimson Hawks tough throughout the entire 40 minute stretch is enough to earn an at-large berth.
- If it hears its name called, ESU would earn its eight NCAA Tournament berth and its first since 2018-19.
How It Happened
- The contest was low scoring to start, with ESU holding 8-6 lead with 11:24 to go in the first half. A quick 7-0 spurt lifted ESU to a nine-point lead at 15-6. IUP sliced the Warrior lead to five points at 15-10 and 17-12, before ESU took a game-high 11-point lead at 28-17, following an 11-5 run from the Red and Black. The Crimson Hawks scored 10 of the final 14 points in the opening half, as No. 3/2 IUP trailed ESU, 32-27 after 20 minutes of play. McAliley had 14 first-half points to pace the game.
- IUP opened the second half strong like it closed the first, starting with an 8-2 sprint to take a lead at 36-34. It was the Crimson Hawks first lead since holding a 4-3 edge. The scoreboard was a seesaw, with leads and points exchanging the rest of the way. IUP took a four-point edge, it's first two-possession advantage at 55-51 with 6:45 remaining. The Warriors were able to knot the game at 58-58 with 3:34 left following a McAliley layup with 3:34 to go. IUP took a team-high six=-point lead with under a minute to go, before Lee knocked down a floater to cu t the deficit to four. After an IUP free throw, extended the lead to five, McGlone knocked down the important 3-pointer t- make it a two-point game. After making one of two free throws from the line to give the Warriors a chance to tie the game.
- After a timeout, Pepin had a chance to send the game into overtime, but unfortunately for the Warriors, the shot caromed off the rim for the final score of 67-64.
Up Next
- ESU will find out if it has earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 11:00 p.m. during the NCAA Selection Show.
- Head to NCAA.com to watch the full selection show.
