EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men's basketball team rebounded from its last outing by securing sole possession of second place in the PSAC East by defeating Millersville on Saturday afternoon, 87-77.
NOTABLES
- The game was another strong showing of the scoring options the Warriors have, as 5 players finished with 10 or more points. Ethan Millirons led ESU in scoring, finishing with 13 points on 3-7 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the free throw line.
- After recording four-straight double-doubles earlier in the month, Jalen Pichardo added another one to his season tally with 11 points and rebounds each. Pichardo only took three field goal attempts, making two, but went 7-8 from the charity stripe.
- Nasir Griffin and Ethan Maynard both added 11 points for the Warriors while going perfect from the free-throw line. The two made all six of their attempts.
- ESU's two standout freshmen, Adrian Brito and Keni Williams, both had strong defensive games. Brito tallied three blocks, and Williams nabbed three steals, leading ESU in each category.
- Christian Pierre-Louis was a bonus for ESU in the rebounding battle, coming down with seven. Pierre-Louis secured four offensive rebounds, helping the Warriors outrebound the Marauders by 10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors came flying out of the gates, starting with a Pichardo block on a layup attempt from Millersville's Cesar Tchilombo on the opening possession. That stand set the tone for the opening seven minutes, as the Warriors blitzed Millersville and jumped out to a 14-point lead. Seven different players scored during the opening 19-5 run, as ESU shot 8-11 from the field while holding Millersville to 2-8 on field goal attempts, while coughing up two turnovers.
- The Marauders made up some ground thanks to some better defense, going on a 16-8 run to make it 27-21. E.J. Matthews-Spratley got Millersville's offense going, nearly outscoring ESU by himself with seven points during the stretch.
- As the half wound down, the Warriors got into the bonus and had plenty of chances at the free-throw line. ESU shot 7-8 on free throws, rebuilding its lead to double-digits going into halftime with a 43-32 advantage.
- The Marauders scored seven of the first nine points out of the break to make it a six-point game again, but ESU had a response. The Warriors scored the next seven-straight points, including five free throws, rebuilding their lead to 52-39 with 15:08 to go.
- The teams traded baskets for the next 10 minutes with the lead bouncing between 10 and 14 points in favor of the Warriors. Millersville made one last push with under four minutes remaining, as Aamir Hurst, Saraj Ali, and Day Waters got to the rim for layups to make the score 74-68. But, similarly to the ending in their first matchup, the Warriors secured the win down the stretch at the free-throw line. ESU outscored Millersville 13-9 during the final 2:35, scoring all of their points off free throws en route to a 87-77 win.
GAME NOTES
- The Warriors never trailed in the game, leading the whole way after scoring the first points of the game.
- ESU has won both games against Millersville this season, sweeping the regular season series for the first time since 2022-23.
- The Warriors responded well after their game against West Chester, making 34 of their 45 free throw attempts.
- Despite leading the conference in blocks per game, Millersville only finished with four to ESU's six.
- The Warriors held the Marauders to nearly 20.0% below their season average for 3P%, as Millersville went just 3-22 from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
While most of the PSAC East plays makeup games on Monday, the Warriors have a bit of a break before their next game in four days. ESU kicks off a two-game road swing with a game against Bloomsburg at 7:30 on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
