SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Ethan Millirons swished a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team to a 90-87 win over Shippensburg on Wednesday evening inside Heiges Field House.
The Warriors (12-5, 6-3 PSAC) bounced back in dramatic fashion after a setback at Lock Haven on Saturday. The Raiders dropped to 6-10 overall, 4-6 in PSAC action.
ESU held a two-point lead following a Jalen Pichardo layup with 36 seconds to go in the extra period, but SU tied the game at 87-87 on two free throws. Evan Morton then found Millirons open from beyond the arc. After a quick pump-fake, Millirons created space and drained the shot to put the Warriors up three points with 0.9 seconds remaining. Shippensburg's last-second heave fell short, as ESU escaped with the thrilling 90-87 victory.
Notables
- Millirons finished with nine points, converting 3-of-6 from long range. The Saint Thomas Aquinas transfer added four rebounds and a steal.
- Lakeem McAliley, who was named to the Bevo Francis Watch List earlier on Wednesday, led ESU with 22 points and grabbed six rebounds. He also recorded a crucial block near the end of regulation and posted three steals in 28 minutes. McAliley now needs 15 points to pass Don Bones (1,775 from 1976-81) for third on ESU's all-time scoring list.
- Cam Young tallied 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals. He entered the week ranked in the top five in NCAA Division II in both total steals and steals per game.
- Jalen Pichardo was one point shy of a double-double, finishing with nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Seven of those boards came on the offensive end, contributing to ESU's 24 second-chance points.
- Evan Morton also reached double figures with 12 points, and Carson Howard added eight.
- Shippensburg was led by Marcus Frank (33 points), while Jaydon Smith (18) and Denzel Figueroa (11 points, eight rebounds) also tallied double digits.
- ESU dominated the glass with a 42-31 rebounding advantage, including a 24-12 edge on the offensive boards.
How It Happened
- The Warriors started fast, taking a 15-point lead at 28-13 with 12:01 left in the first half. The Raiders battled back with a 24-13 surge, pulling within one at 41-40. Shippensburg closed the period with an 8-4 run to take a 48-47 lead into halftime.
- Neither team could take command in the second half until the Raiders built a seven-point lead at 77-70 with 4:37 remaining. ESU responded with an 8-2 run, capped by a Cam Young layup that knotted the game at 79-79 with 33 seconds left, forcing overtime. A potential game-winning attempt by the Raiders was blocked by McAliley in the waning moments of regulation.
- The extra frame featured four ties. After Frank's two free throws made it 87-87, Morton dished to Millirons for the game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second on the clock. The Raiders' desperation shot came up short, giving ESU the 90-87 overtime triumph.
Up Next
- ESU returns to Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday, hosting Bloomsburg at 3 p.m.
