EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Trailing by three points at halftime, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team opened the second half with a 23-8 run and led the rest of the way in an 87-75 win over Shepherd on Monday evening inside Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (10-3, 4-2 PSAC) opened their PSAC East slate with a victory and remain tied with Millersville for second place. The Rams (8-6, 4-3 PSAC) dropped their second consecutive game and sit in fifth place.

Lakeem McAliley led all scorers with 24 points (8-of-11 FG, 3-of-4 3PT, 5-of-6 FT) in just 18 minutes. He powered the Warriors in the second half with 18 points over the final 20 minutes. The redshirt senior from Philadelphia added two rebounds, two assists and two steals. He has reached the 20-point mark in eight of 13 games this season.

Notables

• McAliley led five double-figure scorers: Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui (12 points), Cam Young (10 points, five rebounds), Evan Morton (10 points, five rebounds), Ethan Millirons (10 points, five assists) and Jalen Pichardo (10 points, seven rebounds).
• ESU committed only seven turnovers, its fewest this season and its lowest total since surrendering five against Clarion on Dec. 22, 2022. The Warriors forced 19 Shepherd turnovers and led 21-10 in points off turnovers.
• McAliley surpassed 1,700 career points in the contest, now holding 1,702 in 102 games. He became just the fourth Warrior in program history to reach that milestone. He needs 74 points to surpass Don Bones (1,775 points, 1976-81) for third place in school history.

How It Happened

• After McAliley opened the scoring, Shepherd built a 9-3 advantage behind six free throws and a 3-pointer. ESU responded with a 7-2 run to pull within one, but the Rams rattled off eight straight points to go back up by nine.
• The Warriors tied the contest at 19-19 with 10:48 left in the first half, though Shepherd maintained a slim lead. Trailing 26-23, ESU used a 12-5 spurt to grab a 33-31 edge, but the Rams closed the half with five consecutive points for a 36-33 lead at the break.
• Shepherd opened the second half with a jumper before ESU seized control with a 23-8 stretch, hitting 9-of-15 shots and forcing five Ram turnovers to build a 56-46 lead with 13:07 remaining.
• Shepherd trimmed the deficit to 58-57 and later 60-59, but the Warriors never relinquished the lead. ESU took a game-high 11-point advantage at 75-64 with 3:28 to play and closed out the 87-75 triumph.

Up Next

• The Warriors face PSAC East leading West Chester (12-2, 7-0 PSAC East) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. inside Koehler Fieldhouse.