EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men’s basketball team began PSAC East play with a bang, picking up a road win last time out in Millersville, and the Warriors will look to defend home court in their divisional home opener against the current top-seeded Shepherd Rams Saturday afternoon.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG

• The Warriors come into the game in a three-team tie for second place in the division, deadlocked with Millersville and West Chester at 3-3. Overall, East Stroudsburg is 9-4 and has won its last two games.
• The Warriors’ depth willed ESU to a 74-68 win on Wednesday night against Millersville, mounting a second-half comeback after falling behind by double-digits. Every Warrior that played in the game made a field goal, with Keni Williams and Adrian Brito scoring 13 and 11 points to lead the team. 
• Brito has been one of ESU’s most consistent players on offense, as the freshman forward has reached double figures in scoring in all but two games, averaging 12.7. While Brito immediately settled in as a dependable scorer, Williams’ strength was in his passing and ability to create turnovers. The guard has led ESU in assists four times and steals twice, both team-highs. The scoring is starting to come a little easier with more experience under his belt, scoring 10+ points in three of his last six appearances. There’s been noticeable improvement in his free throw shooting during that stretch, shooting 72.0% in PSAC games.
• Nasir Griffin played in his 100th game as a Warrior in ESU’s last outing, coming through with six points in the final two minutes to help get ahead and ice the game. One of the few seniors on the team, Griffin has answered when his number has been called, shooting 44.4% from the field and 76.5% from the free throw line in conference games.
• Despite allowing an average of 81.5 PPG, the Warriors proved their capable of defending and shutting down top talent in their win against Millersville. Christian Pierre-Louis and Terrell Pitts played key parts in limiting the Marauders’ Day Waters, the leading scorer in the conference. In addition to holding him under 10 points for the first time this season, it was also the fewest points Millersville had scored in its last 22 games when ESU held them to 67 points on Feb. 8, 2025. 
• A committee approach to rebounding worked in limiting second-chance opportunities for ESU, winning the rebound battle by 11. East Stroudsburg has outrebounded its opponents in nine of 13 games this season, averaging 5.4 more rebounds per game.
• Jalen Pichardo and Carson Howard are two of ESU’s top three rebounders, finishing with five and four, respectively. Pichardo is seventh in the conference in rebounds but leads the PSAC and is 21st in Division II in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 3.6. Howard has averaged 4.4 RPG in 20.0 MPG across his last five games.
• Team defense and free throw shooting were two areas of improvement for East Stroudsburg to start the year, but the Warriors have improved in both over the last two games. ESU allowed 76 and 68 points while shooting 75.9% from the charity stripe on 58 attempts.
• ESU is eyeing its first home win over a month, as the Warriors have dropped their last three at Koehler Fieldhouse. East Stroudsburg’s last win in the Poconos came on Nov. 30 against Mercy, 98-92.

SCOUTING SHEPHERD

• The Rams currently have the best in-conference record in the PSAC East Division, coming in at 4-2 while sporting an 8-5 overall record.
• Shepherd and East Stroudsburg both started the year in Ettrick, Va., taking on Virginia State and Winston-Salem State. After sweeping the road trip as well and starting 3-0, the Rams went on a four-game skid, losing to two ranked opponents during that stretch and falling by an average margin of 15.2 PPG. Since then, the Rams have bounced back to win five of their last six, their last loss coming at Slippery Rock, 70-61, on Dec. 16.
• The Rams home and road splits are night and day over since the 2017-18 season. At home, Shepherd has been one of the best teams in the PSAC East. However, they haven’t had a road record better than .500 since going 9-5 in 2016-17. The Rams are 3-3 to start the season and have been exactly .500 the last two seasons away from Shepherdstown.
• Shepherd has leaned on junior guard Marcus Banks to start the season, as he leads the team in points, assists, and steals. Banks is top five in the conference in per game averages in all three of those categories, putting up 19.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 2.0 SPG.
• On the wing, Favor Okigweh and Brody Davis have been two key contributors for the Rams. Okigweh has grabbed the third-most rebounds per game in the PSAC, averaging 8.6 RPG. Davis, the Rams’ top threat from three-point range, has been one of the better shooters in the conference. He’s made just under half of his attempts, posting a 49.3% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. 
• Shepherd rotates between two centers in its lineups, typically starting Colton Hartman and bringing on Cole Hoffman as the backup big. Hartman started every game up until the Rams’ last outing against Lock Haven, as Shepherd elected to run a lineup of two guards and three wings. The two combine for 23.8 MPG.
• Most of Shepherd’s production comes from its top four scorers — Banks, Elwyne Wordlaw, Davis, and Colby White. Wordlaw averages nearly 30 MPG off the bench and puts up the second-most points on the team with 16.1 PPG. With White, the freshman guard has emerged as a second option in the starting lineup, beginning every game and adding 10.8 PPG.
• As a team, Shepherd’s defense ranks on opposite ends of the spectrum in a couple of different categories. On one hand, the Rams commit the fewest fouls per game in the PSAC and 11th-fewest in Division II, averaging just 13.9 fouls per game. But they have struggled to create turnovers, only forcing 11.8 per game and owning a -2.7 average turnover margin, the second- and third-worst figures in the conference.
• With scoring defense and shooting percentage though, there is more consistency there for Shepherd. The Rams are third in the PSAC, allowing just 72.6 PPG, and their field goal percentage defense and three point percentage defense rank in the top half in the conference as well. 
• The Rams are one of the lower-scoring teams in the PSAC and haven’t been particularly efficient in putting the ball in the net, coming in 15th in scoring offense and 12th in field goal percentage, but have been able to get by with their 35.2% three point percentage.

SERIES HISTORY

• ESU and Shepherd do not have a long history of prior meetings, only having 15 games between the two. The Warriors and Rams played each other three times from 1999 to 2016, picking up a regular twice-a-season schedule in 2020. All-time, ESU has a 10-5 advantage, including winning eight of the last 10 games against Shepherd.
• In addition to the significance in the standings with this matchup, it will also be a revenge game for the Warriors. Shepherd knocked East Stroudsburg out of the PSAC Tournament in the quarterfinal round last season, winning 79-67 at Koehler Fieldhouse.
• Both teams will be replacing their two top scorers from last year’s game, as well as over 65% of their scoring.