MANSFIELD, Pa. — The Warriors traveled up to Mansfield for the first of a quick two-game road trip, picking up a 102-76 win over the Mountaineers. ESU improved to 12-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play.
NOTABLES
- Fresh off his first career double-double, Jalen Pichardo made it two-in-a-row with a 12-point, 11-rebound outing. Pichardo went 4-7 from the field and made all four of his free throw attempts while having an even night for rebounding on both ends of the floor, finishing with six offensive rebounds and five defensive boards.
- Adrian Brito continued his efficient scoring ways tonight, nearly scoring a point per minute with 17 in 18 minutes played. Brito went 6-10 from the field and added seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocks on defense.
- Ethan Maynard continued to step up his game in conference play, putting up 16 points in tonight's contest. Maynard made three shots from distance while recording a game-high six steals.
- Nasir Griffin had a good all-around performance, contributing everywhere on the stat sheet. Griffin scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out two assists.
- Six Warriors reached double-digits tonight, with Carson Howard and Keni Williams rounding out the group. Howard scored 12 points and added six rebounds, and Williams chipped in with 10 points, marking the third time in four games he's scored in double figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game played out nearly identically to the Warriors' last outing against Bloomsburg, featuring a dominant first half that built a comfortable lead ESU could defend in the final 20 minutes. Offensively, the scoring was distributed evenly, with eight players adding points while Brito was the only one to score 10 or more, finishing the half with 11. Ethan Millirons scored all eight of his points in the first half, going 2-2 from three-point range and making a midrange jumper. Going into the break, the Warriors led 53-25.
- ESU shot slightly above 50.0% from the field as a team, but the biggest strength of the Warriors' first half was their defense. Of the 10 turnovers Mansfield committed, ESU recorded eight steals. On the game overall, the Warriors finished with 28 points off turnovers and 29 fastbreak turnovers, forcing the Mountaineers into numerous gaffes with the full-court pressure.
- The Warriors controlled the glass on both ends, outrebounding Mansfield 43-31. ESU held the defensive rebound advantage by one, but grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to Mansfield's seven, leading to 16 second-chance points and limiting the Mountaineers to six.
GAME NOTES
- ESU is riding a five-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the PSAC. This includes a 4-0 record against PSAC East opponents, helping the Warriors hold onto their place in a three-team tie for first in the division.
- The Warriors have scored 100 points in consecutive games for the first time this season, having done so previously against Winston-Salem State (Nov. 14), Georgian Court (Nov. 25), and Molloy (Dec. 2). ESU is the second PSAC team to accomplish the feat, the first since Gannon, who has done it twice, put up 106 points versus Kutztown on Dec. 16 and 101 against West Chester on Dec. 20.
- The 26-point win at Mansfield is the largest for the Warriors since Jan. 29, 2014, when ESU won 112-79. It's the second-largest margin of victory for a road win against Mansfield since ESU defeated the Mountaineers 76-40 on Jan. 10, 1941.
UP NEXT
The Warriors travel down to Shippensburg before returning home, taking on the Raiders at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.
