EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Despite erasing a 20-point second-half deficit to force overtime, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team fell 83-81 to Slippery Rock on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (9-3, 3-2 PSAC) had their six-game winning streak snapped, while The Rock (7-6, 4-2 PSAC) registered its fifth consecutive win to close the calendar year.

ESU overcame a difficult first half, shooting 28.6 percent (8-of-29) from the field, including 1-of-8 from 3-point range. The Warriors outscored The Rock 46-30 in the second half, sending the game to overtime tied at 71. After taking a four-point lead early in the extra period, ESU was outscored 10-4 down the stretch, lifting Slippery Rock the two-point victory.

Notables

• Cam Young led all scorers with 18 points, adding five rebounds, four assists, five steals and two blocks in 41 minutes.
• Evan Morton tallied 17 points, including eight from the free-throw line, and added three assists and two boards.
• Nasir Griffin posted 15 points and seven rebounds, along with two assists and two steals.
• Jalen Pichardo recorded 14 points and matched the team high with eight rebounds.
• Lakeem McAliley rounded out the five double-figure scorers with 10 points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes due to foul trouble.
• Slippery Rock had four players in double figures, led by Luke Howes with 17 points. Day Waters (16), Jomo Goings (14) and Maceo Austin (13) also reached double digits.
• After shooting 28.6 percent in the first half, ESU connected on 14 of 27 shots (51.9 percent) in the second half while holding Slippery Rock to 37 percent over the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Moving Up The Record Book

• With his final points on a layup in overtime, McAliley moved to fourth on ESU's all-time scoring list, surpassing Rasheed Moore (2013-17), who finished with 1,677 career points. McAliley now has 1,678 points, placing him 98 behind Don Bones (1,775 from 1976-81) for third place. ESU has 16 regular-season games left.

How It Happened

• Slippery Rock opened the game with a dunk off the tip and raced out to an 18-7 lead, hitting eight of its first 12 shots. ESU trimmed the deficit to eight points at 18-10, but The Rock rebuilt a double-digit edge at 27-15 with 7:25 left in the half.
• The Warriors got as close as nine, at 31-22 and 33-24, but Slippery Rock closed the half on a 7-1 run for a 41-25 halftime advantage.
• The Rock pushed its lead to a game-high 20 points at 45-25 early in the second half.
• ESU responded with a 30-8 surge to take a 55-53 lead, forcing nine turnovers and shooting 50 percent during that 11-minute span. Slippery Rock then regained the lead with an 8-2 run.
• Trailing 71-68, McAliley converted a layup and free throw to tie the game with a minute left, sending the game to overtime.
• Morton sank a pair of 3-pointers for a four-point ESU lead (77-73), but Slippery Rock forced four turnovers down the stretch and ended on a 10-4 run to seal the win.

Up next

• ESU is idle for the holidays and returns to action Monday, Jan. 6, hosting Shepherd at Koehler Fieldhouse for its PSAC East opener. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The contest will stream on the PSAC Sports Digital Network and air regionally on Blue Ridge TV 13.