EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men's basketball team bounced back with a 29-point rout against Lock Haven on Wednesday night, defeating the Bald Eagles 92-63. The Warriors moved to 13-5 overall and 7-4 in-conference.
NOTABLES
- The Warriors had two players record double-doubles tonight, each in a different way. Jalen Pichardo recorded his fourth in a row, recording 11 points and rebounds each. Keni Williams finished the game with his first career double-double, also adding 11 points but dishing out 10 assists.
- Carson Howard finished the night as ESU's leading scorer, putting up 15 points. Howard was nearly perfect from the field, going 7-8 and making his lone attempt from three-point range, while also adding nine rebounds and four steals to his stat line.
- Adrian Brito had another solid outing of scoring in double figures on positive efficiency. The freshman went 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from deep for 13 points.
- Terrell Pitts had one of his best offensive games of the season, coming off the bench to score 11 points. Pitts couldn't miss in his 25 minutes, making all three of his three-point attempts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors got off to a good start, getting made three pointers from Ethan Maynard, Saleem Payne, and Brito to start 3-3 from downtown. After jumping out to a 9-2 lead, Lock Haven made up some ground to make it 17-12 with 12:34 left in the half. ESU then went on a 16-6 run to extend its lead to 15 points, holding the Bald Eagles to 3-9 shooting during the seven minutes while committing five turnovers.
- The teams played evenly during the final four minutes of the half, as the Warriors led 40-26 at the break.
- Lock Haven scored the first four points of the half, but Nasir Griffin got the Warriors' offense started with a three-pointer to prevent the Bald Eagles from trimming the deficit to single-digits. As ESU gradually increased its lead during the next eight minutes, the Warriors put the game out of reach with a dominant two-minute stretch in the middle of the frame. East Stroudsburg went from leading 60-45 to building up a 73-48 advantage, going 6-7 from the field and 3-3 from three-point range. Pitts and Millirons both scored twice, as the second unit caught fire to close the door.
- The Bald Eagles were unable to mount a counterattack, and the Warriors slightly extended their lead from that point on to win by a final score of 92-63.
GAME NOTES
- Williams is the first Warrior to finish a game with double-digit points and assists since Justin Paz did so against Goldey-Beacom on Jan. 10, 2024.
- ESU had a dominant night on the glass, outrebounding Lock Haven 42-21. The Warriors grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, nearly outperforming the Bald Eagles on that end, as Lock Haven recorded 18 defensive rebounds.
- The ESU bench had its best game of the year in terms of scoring, finishing with a season-high 60 points.
UP NEXT
The Warriors have a bit of a break before their next game, with six days off before beginning a stretch of three games in six days. ESU will head down to Kutztown next to take on the Golden Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
