KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Holding a 15-point lead at halftime, the No. 18/19 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team built a 33-point second-half lead to cruise to a 103-86 road win over Kutztown on Wednesday night at Keystone Arena.
The Warriors (23-4, 17-4 PSAC) head into its regular season finale needing a win over Mansfield and a Millersville win over Lock Haven to secure the PSAC East second seed and first-round bye in the upcoming PSAC Tournament. The Golden Bears (4-23, 3-18 PSAC) head to Shepherd on Saturday for its final game of the 2023-24 season.
Notables
- Redshirt senior guard Justin Paz had a remarkable performance, knocking down his first six 3-point field goal attempts before suffering his lone miss from long range on his seventh and final attempt. He finished with a 7-10 mark from the field for a team-high 20 points, five assists and two steals without a turnover in 18 minutes of action.
- Paz's mark of 6-7 from 3-point ranks second all-time to Andy Heimbach (6-6 vs. Queens, 2008) in 3-point field goal percentage in a single game, with a minimum of five attempts. Paz's previous-best percentage was 5-7 against California (Pa.) in 2021-22. The six triples are the most for a Warrior this season, as Lakeem McAliley and David Duda Jr. both knocked down six 3-pointers a season ago.
- Tyshawn Trail poured in 17 points (8-12 FG) with three assists and two steals. Nasir Griffin totaled 13 points and seven rebounds, while Jaelen McGlone (5-8 FG, 3 AST, 2 STL) and Cam Young (6 REB) each added 11 points.
- ESU's 103 points on the evening marks the eighth time the Warriors have reached the century mark this season, which is the second-most 100-point games in a single season, only trailing the 2017-18 (10) season.
- ESU's 23 wins are tied with the 2022-23 season for the fourth-most wins in program history. ESU has only posted more victories in 2009-10 (24-6), 2017-18 (27-6) and the 2013-14 (30-2) season.
- ESU's 85.2 winning percentage ranks second all-time to just the 2013-14 squad that went 30-2 (93.8%).
- A total of 12 different Warriors registered at least two points, 10 grabbed a rebound, eight recorded an assist, and six posted two steals in the balanced effort.
PSAC Tournament Scenarios
- With ESU, Millersville and Lock Haven all winning on Wednesday, ESU turns its head to Mansfield and hopes for a Millersville win over Lock Haven on Saturday. An ESU win and a Millersville victory propel the Warriors to the second seed and a first-round bye in the PSAC Tournament. In this scenario, ESU would host the winner of the three-seed, Lock Haven, and six-seed Shepherd at Koehler Fieldhouse on Wed., March 6 in the PSAC Quarterfinal round.
- A Lock Haven win over Millersville on Saturday will send ESU to the PSAC East three-seed, no matter ESU's result on against Mansfield, with Lock Haven holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. If this happens, ESU hosts the six-seed Mounties again at Koehler Fieldhouse on Monday evening in a PSAC Tournament first-round matchup.
How It Happened
- The Warriors started strong, building an early 17-6 edge, before the Golden Bears used a 15-7 run to cut the deficit to just three points at 24-21. The Warriors would not allow the Golden Bears to get closer, closing the first half with a 22-10 run to take a 48-33 lead into the locker room at Keystone Arena.
- After the intermission, the Warriors pressed down the gas. The Warriors scored 17 of the first 21 points in the second half, extending its lead to 65-37. With the game in hand, ESU took a game-high 33-point advantage at 91-58. The Golden Bears closed the game on a 28-12 sprint for the final score of 103-86.
Up Next
- ESU closes the regular season in the friendly confines of Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Senior Day contest against Mansfield is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.
