EAST STROUDSBURG – After building a 19-point second-half lead, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team secured its fourth consecutive win by holding off California (Pa.), 89-86, on Saturday afternoon in a PSAC crossover contest at Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (7-2, 1-1 PSAC) look to close the weekend with their fifth straight victory when they host Edinboro on Sunday. The injury-plagued Vulcans (6-4, 1-2) suffered their fourth consecutive loss.

Notables

• Cam Young delivered a career-best performance, leading the Warriors with 27 points (10-of-17 FG, 3-of-9 3PT, 4-of-4 FT). He added four rebounds, three assists, five steals and a block in 28 minutes on the floor.
• Lakeem McAliley (14 points), Davon Lee (13 points, four assists) and Ethan Millirons (12 points, 3-of-6 3PT) also reached double figures in scoring. McAliley and Jalen Pichardo paced the Warriors on the glass with six rebounds each.
• Keondre DeShields (24 points, 10-of-13 FG, six rebounds), Jordyn Buchanan (18 points, 6-of-8 FG, five rebounds, five assists), Dalman Alexander (18 points, 6-of-11 FG, eight rebounds, four assists) and Cam Polak (11 points) led the Vulcans' offense.
• The Warriors recorded nine steals, forcing 20 turnovers that produced 21 points. ESU committed just 12 turnovers, with Cal scoring only 10 points off those miscues.
• Cal limited the Warriors to a season-low 18 free-throw attempts (13-of-18). ESU entered the game ranked No. 7 nationally in free-throw attempts per game (29.1) and No. 2 in free throws made per game (22.8).
• ESU led for more than 97 percent of the game. Cal trimmed the deficit to three points late in the second half, but the Warriors fended off the late push, culminating with Polak's 3-pointer at the buzzer to settle the final margin.

How It Happened

• The Warriors built an early 12-4 lead following a 12-0 run and led by nine entering the first media timeout. Cal responded with a 10-2 surge to trim the margin to one, but ESU countered with a crucial 22-4 sprint, holding the Vulcans to 1-of-8 shooting over an eight-minute stretch.
• Leading 36-17 with 2:23 left in the opening half, the Warriors allowed the Vulcans to score seven of the final 12 points of the period, taking a 41-24 advantage into halftime.
• The Vulcans twice cut the deficit to 11 points early in the second half, but ESU pushed its lead back to 17 at 55-38 after a McAliley dunk. Cal then responded with an 11-0 run to narrow the gap to six at 55-49 with 12:30 remaining. Young ended the run with one of his three 3-pointers, and the teams traded buckets down the stretch.
• With less than two minutes left, Millirons and Young drained 3-pointers to extend the lead to 12, but Cal closed on a 15-6 run. Polak's 3-pointer at the horn made it a three-point final margin, as ESU held on for the 89-86 win.

Up Next

• The Warriors (7-2, 1-1) return to Koehler Fieldhouse on Sunday, taking on Edinboro (4-5, 1-2) at 3 p.m. in another PSAC crossover matchup.