GREENSBURG, Pa. – With a 15-point lead and five minutes remaining, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team held on despite a late Seton Hill rally, defeating the Griffins 80-72 on Wednesday at the McKenna Center.
The Warriors (9-2, 3-1 PSAC) will enter their final game of the calendar year on a six-game winning streak. The Griffins (9-4, 2-3), meanwhile, dropped their second consecutive contest following a double-overtime loss to Chestnut Hill on Saturday.
Notables
- Junior guard Ethan Millirons led five Warriors in double figures with a season-high 17 points. The Riner, Va., native hit 5 of 11 attempts from 3-point range.
- Lakeem McAliley finished with 15 points (6-of-9 FG, 3-of-3 FT), three rebounds and a game-high five assists. The Philadelphia native played 21 minutes, missing time due to foul trouble.
- Cam Young added 13 points (4-of-6 FG), six rebounds and two steals.
- Nasir Griffin and Evan Morton each scored 12 points. Griffin added seven rebounds, while Morton sank 6-of-7 free throws.
- Jalen Pichardo grabbed 10 rebounds.
- Seton Hill featured four double-figure scorers, led by Ryan Meis with 15 points.
How it Happened
- With the score tied at 6-6, Seton Hill scored six straight points for a 12-6 lead. ESU regained the advantage at 13-12, and the teams continued to trade points. After the Griffins took a 23-19 lead with 7:17 left in the first half, ESU closed the period on a 17-8 run for a 37-33 lead at the break.
- The Warriors kept rolling in the second half, using an 18-9 run to build a 55-42 margin. ESU's lead grew to as many as 15 points (71-56) with 5:05 to go, but Seton Hill narrowed the gap to 76-69 with 1:17 remaining. After two free throws by Pichardo, SHU's Edir Ortiz hit a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to make it a six-point game. That was as close as the Griffins would get, and McAliley sealed the win with a dunk for the 80-72 final.
Up Next
- ESU returns home for its final game of the calendar year and its PSAC crossover finale, hosting Slippery Rock on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at Koehler Fieldhouse.
