PHILADELPHIA – Despite shooting a season-low 35.8% from the floor, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team dominated the boards and converted 22-of-27 free throws in a 75-66 road win over Holy Family on Sunday afternoon inside Campus Center Gymnasium.

The Warriors improve to 5-2 heading into their non-conference finale on Tuesday, while the Tigers (5-2) saw their four-game winning streak snapped.

ESU built a 16-point second-half lead early, but Holy Family trimmed the deficit to as little as six points twice in the final period. The Warriors sealed the victory by sinking 3-of-4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to hold off the Tigers.

Notables

• Lakeem McAliley led the Warriors with 18 points, including a 10-of-13 performance from the free-throw line. He also surpassed 1,600 career points during the game, becoming the fifth Warrior in program history to achieve the milestone. The redshirt senior, playing in his hometown, now has 1,605 career points.

• McAliley's seven-game streak of scoring 20 or more points came to an end, as he finished just two points shy. He added two steals and played 16 minutes while managing foul trouble.

• Davon Lee tallied 14 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, along with six assists and three rebounds.

• Carson Howard contributed 12 points (5-of-12 FG) and grabbed six rebounds.

• Cam Young, Ethan Millirons, and Nasir Griffin each scored six points. Young led the Warriors with eight rebounds, while Griffin added six boards.

• The Warriors shot a season-low 35.8% (24-of-67) but dominated the rebounding battle 45-34, including a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass. ESU converted 81.5% (22-of-27) of their free throws, while Holy Family managed just 58.3% (14-of-24).

How It Happened

• The Warriors started strong in their final non-conference road game, building a 12-5 lead in the opening five minutes. After a 6-2 run by the Tigers trimmed the lead to a single possession, ESU responded with eight unanswered points to extend the advantage to 22-11.
• Holy Family used a 9-2 run to close within four points at 24-20, but ESU pushed the lead back to double digits at 31-21 with 4:24 remaining in the half. The Tigers ended the run with a 3-pointer, but ESU closed the first period on an 11-7 run to take a 42-28 lead into the locker room.
• The Warriors extended their lead to a game-high 16 points at 44-28 to start the second half. However, Holy Family gradually chipped away at the deficit, using an 18-10 stretch to come within six points at 60-54 with 5:34 remaining.
• ESU responded with a quick five-point burst, including a 3-pointer by Lee and back-to-back layups from Howard, to extend the lead to 67-58. The Tigers trimmed the margin to six again at 72-66 with 26 seconds left, but Lee converted 3-of-4 free throws in the final moments and prevented a 3-pointer to secure the 75-66 victory.

Up Next

• The Warriors return to Koehler Fieldhouse for their non-conference finale against Molloy on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the Poconos.