LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Despite battling foul trouble and being held to a 36.8 field goal percentage, the No. 10/7 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team cut a 16-point second-half deficit to two in the final minutes, but couldn't complete the comeback in a 74-69 loss to Lock Haven on Wednesday night at Thomas Fieldhouse.
The Warriors (20-3, 14-3 PSAC) see their seven-game winning streak and program-record 12-game road winning streak snapped. The Bald Eagles (16-6, 14-3) earn its third straight win and move to a tie with ESU and Millersville for first place in the PSAC East.
Notables
- The balanced Warriors that saw seven players record at least seven points were led by Tyshawn Trail in scoring with 13 points. Nasir Griffin neared a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Justin Paz and Shamir Johnson also tallied nine points, while Jaelen McGlone registered eight and Lakeem McAliley and Cam Young added seven.
- Young cleaned the glass with nine rebounds.
- ESU leading scorer Lakeem McAliley battled foul trouble from the start, picking up three fouls in three minutes on the court in the first half. He became a factor in the second half, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, two steals and three assists in 12 minutes before fouling out. ESU remains undefeated (18-0) this season when McAliley scores 12 points. The Warriors are 2-3 when the Philadelphia native does not reach a dozen points.
- Along with McAliley, McGlone also fouled out, with Cam Young and Carson Howard charged with four fouls.
- LHU was led by Bryson Scott's 28 points, Justice Shoats' 19 points and Dyson Harward's 11 points.
- The loss was the Warriors' first on the road this season. ESU is now 10-1 in away games, seeing its program-record 12-game road winning streak halted - which began last season, ironically enough - at Lock Haven. ESU's previous road-winning streak record was 10, set in two different seasons.
- The Bald Eagles knocked down 21-24 attempts from the free throw line, compared to a 12-19 mark from the Warriors.
How It Happened
- The two squads battled from the start, trading points until a 10-2 LHU run gave the Bald Eagles an 18-10 lead. Johnson halted the run with a triple, but LHU kept momentum with an 8-3 sprint to grab a 26-16 lead with 8:30 left in the first half.
- Overall, the combined 23-10 LHU run gave the Bald Eagles a 31-18 advantage. ESU responded with a 9-3 sprint to make it a single-digit LHU lead at 35-27. The home team scored five of the final eight points in the half, taking a 39-30 lead into the locker room.
- Lock Haven built a game-high 16-point lead at 53-37 with 14:07 remaining, but the relentless Warriors never conceded. ESU continued to chip at the deficit, using a 20-8 run, which featured all seven of Young's points in the 8:24 of clock. The Warriors got as close as two points at 65-63 and 67-65, but LHU wouldn't let the Warriors get any closer, earning a 74-69 win.
Up Next
- The Warriors look to bounce back on Saturday at Shippensburg (4-14, 8-16 PSAC). The opening tip at Heiges Fieldhouse is set for 3:00 p.m.
