ETTRICK, Va. — The East Stroudsburg men's basketball team kicked off the 2025-26 season with a dominant 33-point over Winston-Salem State, 105-72. Six different players reached double figures in scoring, helping the Warriors break the 100-point mark for the first time in a season opener since 2017.
NOTABLES
- Ethan Millirons led ESU in scoring with 17 points, shooting 5-7 from three-point range. The senior guard came off the bench and played 23 minutes for ESU, matching his career-high in three-point makes.
- Kevin Coleman made his debut for East Stroudsburg in an efficient offensive performance, scoring 13 points in 13 minutes. Coleman made five of his six attempts from the field and grabbed a board on each end of the floor as well.
- Carson Howard recorded seven rebounds, including four offensive, to pace ESU in that category. Adding in eight points in 21 minutes off the bench, Howard was perfect from the field, going three-for-three.
- A pair of freshmen got significant playing time Friday evening, with Keni Williams and Adrian Brito making their collegiate debuts. Both contributed with double-digit scoring; Brito went 4-6 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line, and Williams added 12 points and team-highs in assists and steals with six each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors got off to a hot start offensively, cashing in their first three shot attempts from three different players. Ethan Maynard opened the scoring with a three-pointer, his first make as a Warrior, on the first possession, followed by captains Davon Lee on another shot from distance and Nasir Griffin forcing a turnover and making the fastbreak layup on the other end of the floor to jump ahead to a quick 8-1 lead. Maynard would hit a second three-point shot shortly after to extend the lead to double digits just under three minutes in.
- The Rams cut their deficit to six with a run near the halfway mark of the half, but the Warriors responded with a 15-3 run over the next three minutes to regain their comfortable lead.
- The Warriors' lead hit 20 with 15 minutes left in regulation and eclipsed 30 two minutes later, coming out of the halftime break strong on a 22-8 run. The Warriors held a controlling lead the rest of the game, never reaching below a 27-point deficit and reaching 40-point margin in the final minutes while on the way to a 33-point win.
GAME NOTES
- ESU got over half its points from bench scoring, as the reserves combined for 61 points.
- The Warriors outscored the Rams by 30 in points off turnovers, creating 41 while only allowing 11. A large part of that was due to East Stroudsburg only turning the ball over 10 times while forcing 25 turnovers.
- The win is both ESU's first time scoring over 100 points in season opener and the largest margin of victory to start the year since its 113-71 win at Clarion to start the 2017-18 season.
- This was the first meeting between East Stroudsburg and Winston-Salem State.
UP NEXT
The Warriors finish their road trip tomorrow night as they take on the host of this weekend's tournament, the Virginia State Trojans. The Trojans are coming off a 64-62 loss to Shepherd from tonight, and action will start at 7 p.m. tomorrow night in Ettrick, Va.
