EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men’s basketball team prepares for a busy week, kicking off a stretch of three games in five days beginning tomorrow evening against Kutztown.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG

• East Stroudsburg dominated in their game against Lock Haven on Wednesday night, winning 92-63. The Warriors improved to 13-5 overall and 7-4 in-conference, currently trailing Millersville by .5 games for second place in the division.
• The ESU offense got right back on track, improving its scoring offense to 89.2 PPG. The Warriors score the second-most points per game on average in the PSAC.
• In the win, many Warriors contributed to the offensive production. While dominating the Bald Eagles, it was a well-balanced performance. Carson Howard led the team in scoring with 15 points, while also tallying a career-high four steals. Adrian Brito also finished with 13 points and is currently averaging 12.9 PPG along with 5.2 RPG.
• Brito has been the most efficient scorer for the Warriors all season, and now leads the PSAC in FG% with a 63.0% mark after his last outing.
• Junior forward Jalen Pichardo has been a rebounding monster in the paint, averaging 8.4 RPG and a PSAC-best 3.8 ORPG. He extended his double-double streak to four with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win on Wednesday. Pichardo has helped the Warriors dominate the rebounding battle in their last four games while also averaging 11.0 PPG.
• East Stroudsburg has done well at sharing the rock, recording 24 assists in its win over Lock Haven. The Warriors average 18.4 APG, leading the PSAC and ranking ninth nationally in that category.
• The Warriors play their bench more than anyone in the conference and get the second-most PPG from their second unit in the country. Against the Bald Eagles, the Warriors got a season-high 60 points off the bench. ESU averages 46.1 PPG with Brito, Ethan Millirons, Keni Williams, and Howard all averaging above 9.0 PPG.
• Millirons is back to holding the top spot in three-point field goal percentage in Division II with a mark of 49.5%. The long-range threat scored 10 points off the bench last time out.
• Williams has continued to impress with an increased role as the season has progressed. The freshman recorded the first double-double of his career against Lock Haven, finishing with 11 points and 10 assists. He was the first Warrior to record a double-double with points and assists since Justin Paz did so on Jan. 10, 2024.
• Last Wednesday’s game was also the first time ESU had two players record double-doubles in the same game since the 2022-23 season.
• The Warriors’ production has always been a testament to its scoring depth, which was evident against Lock Haven. ESU had six scorers in double figures, the fourth time all year and third time in the last four games. The last time ESU had four games of six players scoring 10+ points a game was the 2017-2018 season.

SCOUTING KUTZTOWN

• Kutztown enters Tuesday’s matchup eager for a win, currently one spot out of making the PSAC Tournament with 10 games left to go. The Golden Bears have a 5-11 record this season, going 2-9 in the conference. They are in seventh place in the PSAC East, one game behind Lock Haven, which is 3-8 in PSAC play.
• In their last matchup against Shepherd, the Golden Bears came out on the losing side 56-72. Yahmir Satterfield led the team in scoring, tallying 16 points on 7-9 shooting. Jordan Nkoa Abessolo recorded his seventh double-double of the season, raking in 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• Kutztown’s defense has been stellar all season, only allowing 74.1 PPG, sixth-lowest in the PSAC. They have slowed teams down and limited shot attempts, allowing the third-lowest FGA per game in the PSAC. Another compelling stat for Kutztown compared to the PSAC is that opponents shoot 42.0% per game, which is the second lowest.
• Although their defense has been guiding Kutztown, they have four players carrying the load on the offensive side. Jalen Bryant has been rolling this season. The graduate student is eighth in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.3 PPG. In eight of Kutztown’s games this season, Bryant has scored over 20 points, with a season-high of 25 against Seton Hill on Jan. 2. He has been excellent from the charity stripe, shooting 84.2% on 76 attempts. 
• Jordan Nkoa Abessolo has been dominant around the rim, averaging a double-double on the season. The forward is tallying 14.1 PPG and is second in the PSAC in rebounding, averaging 10.3 per game. Abessolo is doing things efficiently for Kutztown as well, shooting 53.1% from the field, which is fifth-best in the conference. 
• Omari Banks has been crucial for the Golden Bears, leading the team in assists (3.5) and steals (1.4) per game. He is averaging 10.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG. The point guard has been doing everything for Kutztown.
• The only other player averaging over 6.0 PPG for Kutztown is Yahmir Satterfield, who is contributing 10.5 PPG. Tobi Ogunbare has been impactful for the Golden Bears as well, grabbing 6.1 RPG, the second-most for the team. The two are also dishing out 1.4 APG each for Kutztown.
• A central part of the Golden Bears being great on defense is their ability to rebound the ball. They do an impressive job, averaging the second most DRPG in the PSAC with 27.3. Overall, Kutztown is averaging 38.3 RPG, which is sixth-best in the conference.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Warriors own the all-time series advantage with a 98-78 record over the Golden Bears. The rivalry dates all the way back to 1927 when ESU won the first meeting, 48-38.
• ESU is almost .500 when playing at Kutztown, going 41-44 as the visitors. However, the Warriors look to continue their streak of seven-straight wins at Kutztown, a stretch that started on Feb. 21, 2018. ESU has averaged a positive scoring margin of 10.9 PPG 
• Over their last 10 meetings, ESU has won nine of them, with five of them by double figures. The Warriors comfortably won both matchups last year by 19 points on the road and 20 points at home.