EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men's basketball team outlasted Mercy after a five-day break, defeating the Mavericks by the score of 98-92.
NOTABLES
- Carson Howard was called on to make his first start of the season tonight, putting together his best performance as a Warrior. Howard scored a career-high 22 points on six makes from the field and nine free throws, becoming the first Warrior this season to score over 20 points in a game. Howard's paint presence was evident on both ends of the floor, recording four blocks, two steals, and grabbing seven rebounds.
- Nasir Griffin was a momentum-turner for ESU, finishing second on the team in scoring with 18 points. Griffin came up with a couple of clutch three-pointers, going 3-6 from deep, while recording three steals and assists each that fueled ESU's transition game.
- Jalen Pichardo helped keep possessions alive while also turn defense into offense with his work on the glass. The junior forward recorded 17 rebounds, nearly a 50-50 split between offensive and defensive rebounds with nine on the offensive end. Pichardo recorded three steals and four assists to go with his rebounding performance.
- Ethan Millirons was an offensive sparkplug coming off the bench, adding 13 points on 3-6 shooting from three-point range. Millirons added three assists and three rebounds, while also coming away with a steal in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The rust between games showed in ESU's shot making coming out of the break, as Mercy jumped out to an early lead. Mercy's Kohen Rowbatham, who would finish with a game-high 29 points, put the Mavericks ahead 1:50 into the game. A three-pointer from Howard stabilized ESU's offense, allowing a layup from Griffin and free throws from Adrian Brito to put ESU back in the lead with 14:45 remaining.
- A dunk by Jordan Trahan sparked a 14-4 run to surge the Mavericks back out in front. Those were the first two points of Trahan's 27 of the night, as he and Rowbatham combined for 56 of Mercy's 92 points. The duo scored the first 10 points for Mercy in that run, while Joshua Naklen made a mid-range jumper and a tip-in layup to cap off the sequence.
- After a three-pointer from Lual Manyang temporarily halted Mercy's rhythm, ESU's offense dried up on multiple possessions in a row while the Mavericks added to their lead. The Warriors went on 3:30 stretch where they didn't record a made field goal until Brito found Howard for an and-one layup at the rim to make it 35-26. The Warriors quickly got the lead cut down to five after a pair of made free throws by Keni Williams and a putback by Jalen Pichardo.
- However, just as the Warriors got within striking distance, Mercy responded before the half to extend its lead to double-digits. Trahan and Rowbatham totaled 12 of the Mavericks' 15 final points in the half, as ESU trailed 50-43 after the first 20 minutes.
- The Warriors came out of the break with a different energy, which was noticeable in the Warriors' first offensive possession. Millirons came down with an offensive rebound to extend the possession, getting to the line and making both free throws. In the first four minutes of the half, ESU drew seven fouls to quickly put a couple of Mavericks in foul trouble while getting close to the bonus. Williams capped off a 14-2 run after he came up with a steal, Pichardo secured an offensive rebound, and Griffin made an extra pass to Williams in the corner for a three-pointer that forced a Mercy timeout.
- ESU was able to build a two-to-three possession lead it would hold for the majority of the next 12 minutes. The Mavericks got close to making it a one-possession game a handful of times, but Ethan Maynard came up with two three-pointers to give the Warriors a boost with five minutes remaining.
- The fouls ESU drew early in the half paid dividends in the final four minutes, as the Warriors built their lead out from the free throw line to secure the win. Nine of ESU's final 13 points were scored at the line, giving the Warriors a 98-92 win.
GAME NOTES
- Howard set numerous career highs tonight with 22 points, four blocks and nine free throws in 30 minutes played. His 30 minutes logged were the most by a Warrior this season.
- Pichardo's 17 rebounds were the most by a Warrior since the 2022-23 season when Carlos Pepin came down with 18 boards against Seton Hill. His previous career-high was 14, set last season against Shippensburg.
- Despite losing the points-in-the-paint battle, ESU used its 34 points off turnovers and 23 second chance points to fuel the win.
- Mercy was called for 34 fouls while ESU committed 28, the most for both ESU and the Warriors' opponent in a game so far this season.
UP NEXT
The Warriors have one final non-conference matchup on their schedule before beginning PSAC play, as they'll take on Molloy at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 2 in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
