MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — In another dramatic installment of the rivalry between the ESU men's basketball team and the Millersville Marauders, the Warriors came out on top in the PSAC East opener, winning 74-68. The Warriors improved to 9-4 overall and 3-3 in-conference.
NOTABLES
- ESU's two standout freshmen led the charge on offense, as Keni Williams and Adrian Brito were the Warriors' top two leading scorers. Williams put up 13 points and Brito added 11.
- Terrell Pitts had one of, if not his best performances of the season. On offense, he put up nine points, going 4-for-5 from the field in 23 minutes while adding five rebounds and two assists. Defensively, he and Christian Pierre-Louis were tasked with shutting down Millersville's Day Waters, the Marauders' leading scorer. Coming into the game, Waters averaged 20.8 PPG, the 26th-best mark in Division II and the highest scoring average in the PSAC. The duo held him to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting, the first time all season Waters didn't reach double figures in scoring.
- The Warriors have begun to shoot better at the free throw line, making their attempts in crunch time to ice the game. ESU went 22-29 from the charity stripe, marking consecutive games of shooting above 70.0%.
- Nasir Griffin played in his 100th game as a Warrior, finishing the game with nine points. Griffin was clutch from the free throw line down the stretch, going 5-of-7 with three crucial makes in the final moments.
- Carson Howard strung together back-to-back solid outings, putting up eight points, four rebounds, and four assists. Howard only attempted two shots from the field, making one, but finished 6-of-8 on free throws.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In a game that featured two of the conference's top offenses coming into the meeting, the story of the first half were defensive efforts on both sides that led to there just being 67 total points at halftime. Millersville built up a five-point lead twice while the Warriors' largest lead was just four points two times, as there were four lead changes and six ties.
- Despite the low scoring, both teams were efficient with their shot making in the first half. ESU went 13-27 from the field, putting up a 48.1 field goal percentage, while Millersville made just over half of its attempts for a 52.0% field goal percentage.
- The Warriors' offense continued to stall coming out of halftime and Millersville crept further ahead, taking a 47-39 lead in the first eight minutes. Brito came in for the second time in the half, giving ESU life. The freshman scored the Warriors' next seven points, closing the gap slightly to make it a five-point game just past the halfway mark of the final frame.
- The two teams battled back-and-forth, as Millersville's lead bounced between six and two points. However, ESU knotted the game up at 58 points apiece thanks to a 14-6 run led by six points from Howard. After forcing a turnover on Millersville's next possession, Williams hit a huge three-pointer in the corner to give East Stroudsburg its first lead since there was 4:21 left in the first half.
- With two minutes to go, Griffin drove down the lane from the top of the key, spinning a layup in and converting the and-one to take a 66-65 lead. After the Marauders jumped back in front with a pair of free throws, Jalen Pichardo did what he does best — secured an offensive rebound and made the putback to put ESU ahead. Down at the other end, ESU forced a missed layup from Aamir Hurst, with Pichardo grabbing the rebound. Griffin got to the line on ESU's next possession, drawing and making three free throws to go up 72-68. Ethan Millirons made the last two free throws for the Warriors, capping off a 10-3 run down the stretch to win 74-68.
GAME NOTES
- Before tonight's game, the home team was victorious in the last six meetings. The Warriors win snaps that streak and improves their record to 30-19 against Millersville under head coach Jeff Wilson.
- In addition to Griffin's 100th game played, it was also his 78th-straight game, as he's only missed five during his career.
- All 10 players that appeared for ESU got on the scoresheet with a made field goal.
UP NEXT
ESU hosts Shepherd for its first home PSAC East game of the season, beginning divisional play with the top two Eastern Division teams from last year's PSAC Tournament. The Warriors take on the 8-5 Rams at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10 at Koehler Fieldhouse.
