EAST STROUDSBURG – In a battle of first-place teams in the PSAC East, the No. 19/9 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team earned its third straight win with a 98-77 win over Millersville on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Warriors (16-2, 10-2 PSAC) remain deadlocked with Lock Haven for first place in the PSAC East. The Marauders (14-4, 9-3 PSAC) fall to third place and are now tied with West Chester.
Notables
- Five Warriors reached double-figures, with Lakeem McAliley leading the game with 25 points (8-12 FG, 2-3 3PT, 7-7 FT), two rebounds, two assists and four steals in just 24 minutes.
- Tyshawn Trail recorded 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
- Jaelen McGlone added 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal.
- Carson Howard registered his second double-double in three games, pouring in 13 points (6-7 FG) while cleaning the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds.
- Cam Young rounds out the double-figure scorers with 11 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT) and grabbed four rebounds.
- Justin Paz recorded five points, while distributing nine assists and totaling a pair of steals. He stands 24 points away from 1,000 career points with 976.
- The Marauders were led by West Chester transfer Matt Date (24 pts.) and Jaden Faulkner (22 pts.). The Warriors held forward Drew Stover (avg. 12.8 ppg) scoreless in 20 minutes on the court before he fouled out.
- ESU held Millersville to shoot just 34.5 percent in the first half for an overall percentage of 44.2 percent. The Marauders held an advantage at the stripe, getting to the free-throw line more often and were more efficient (26-36 – 19-30).
- ESU led in field goal percentage (54.7%-44.2%), 3-point field goal percentage (47.4% - 26.3%), rebounding (38-34), assists (24-14), bench points (32-8), fastbreak points (20-18) steals (9-7), points off turnovers (28-14), points in the paint (48-32), second-chance points (17-10), while having eight less turnovers (14-22).
- ESU has now won three consecutive matchups against the Marauders and 23 of the previous 29 meetings dating back to 2009.
- Warrior head coach Jeff Wilson picked up his 397th career win in the victory. He now has a head coaching record of 397-199.
How It Happened
- After Millersville took a 7-2 lead, its final lead, ESU went on an 8-0 sprint featuring 3-pointers from McAliley and Griffin to take a 10-7 lead. The Warriors pushed ahead with a 8-0 spurt, with Trail and Pax Knocking down triples to double up the Marauders at 24-12. Overall, the scoring run was 22-5, with ESU making 9-16 FG from the field and 4-6 from 3-point land. The Marauders were held to a 1-9 mark from the field with five turnovers during the seven minutes of action.
- Millersville countered with a 6-0 scoring run to cut the deficit to six points at 24-18. Another run from the Warriors extended its edge to 32-20 with 6:07 remaining in the opening half. The Marauders closed the half by a 13-11 mark over the final six minutes, as ESU took a 10-point lead at 43-33 into the locker room.
- Over the final 20 minutes, Millersville cut ESU's lead to as low as eight points at 55-47 with 15:25 to play, but the Warriors would not all the Marauders gain any more ground. ESU grew its advantage to as high as 21 points at 72-51 and the final score of 98-77 in its third consecutive win.
Up Next
- It's a quick turnaround for the Warriors (16-2, 10-2 PSAC), who host Kutztown (2-16, 1-11 PSAC) on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in Koehler Fieldhouse
