SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – After not holding a lead since the 10:38 mark of the first half and trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, junior forward
Nasir Griffin drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining to propel the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team to a 71-70 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Butcher Athletic Center.
The Warriors (16-5, 10-4 PSAC) snap the Rams' (14-7, 10-4 PSAC) six-game winning streak and move into a tie for second place in the PSAC East standings. With the season sweep, ESU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Shepherd.
Notables
- Ethan Millirons was lights out from beyond the arc, draining all four of his 3-point attempts and finishing with 17 points. The St. Thomas Aquinas transfer has now converted 11-of-15 3-point attempts over his last three games. He also went 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, missing only his lone two-point field goal attempt.
- Lakeem McAliley played just 15 minutes due to foul trouble but still made an impact, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. The Philadelphia native enters next Saturday's game vs. Millersville with 1,823 career points, needing just 38 points to surpass Whis Grant (1,860 points, 2011-15) for second all-time in ESU history.
- Griffin finished with 13 points (3-5 3PT), while tying with Jalen Pichardo for a team-high six rebounds.
- Millirons, McAliley, and Griffin combined to shoot 9-of-11 from 3-point range, contributing 38 of ESU's 71 points.
- Shepherd's Chase Paar and Marcus Banks led the Rams with 18 points each.
How It Happened
- ESU started hot, scoring the first seven points before Shepherd responded with a 12-5 run to tie the game at 12-12. The Warriors held a slim lead before Shepherd tied the contest at 16-16 and took its first lead at 18-16. The Rams closed the first half strong, outscoring ESU 20-13 to take a 36-29 halftime lead.
- Shepherd carried momentum into the second half, extending its advantage to a game-high 13 points (45-32). The Warriors stormed back with three consecutive 3-pointers, with Griffin hitting two and Millirons sinking another. Despite the surge, Shepherd kept ESU at bay, pushing its lead back to double digits (61-51) with 5:45 left.
- ESU continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 69-65 with under 30 seconds remaining. McAliley drilled his second 3-pointer of the game to trim the lead to one (69-68). Forced to foul, Shepherd's Marcus Banks made one of two free throws, giving the Rams a 70-68 advantage.
- With time winding down, Griffin found space and drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining, putting the Warriors up 71-70. Shepherd had a final attempt at a game-winner, but its last-second shot missed, securing the comeback victory for ESU.
Up Next
- The Warriors have a bye on Wednesday before hosting Millersville in an important PSAC East matchup on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. on Alumni Day inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
