EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men's basketball team opens up a two-game homestand tomorrow night against Mansfield as the Warriors look to get back in the win column and regain ground in the PSAC East standings.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG

• East Stroudsburg is coming off a nail-biting double-overtime loss on the road, falling to Shepherd 100-95. The Warriors fell to fourth place in the PSAC East standings, sitting behind West Chester, Millersville, and Shepherd. Those four teams have all clinched a spot in the postseason tournament.
• The Warriors found themselves behind in the second half against Shepherd, trailing by 12 with a little less than 15 minutes left in the game. ESU slowly worked its way back and took the lead by two points with 2:08 left in regulation. After Shepherd tied things with over a minute to go in regulation, the game would head to overtime with neither squad scoring again. A clutch three-pointer by Saleem Payne would give the Warriors a chance to take home the victory in overtime, but after failing to convert on a last-second shot, the game would continue to its second overtime. The Warriors gave it their all, but Shepherd had control the entire second overtime and would come out on top.
• Saleem Payne would lead the way for the Warriors against the Rams on the offensive side of things, in his best statistical game of the season. He tallied a season-high in points (20), rebounds (5), three-point field goals made (2), steals (2), and minutes (36). Payne also added four assists and only one turnover. The transfer is truly starting to settle into his role as the team's starting point guard.
• Ethan Maynard had another great scoring night, finishing with 18 points on an efficient 58.3% FG%. He is now second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 PPG. Maynard has been consistently effective from behind the arc, shooting right below 40.0% on the year.
• The double-double machine, Jalen Pichardo, was back at it again, ending the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. This marks six games this season where he has recorded a double-double. He leads the PSAC in offensive rebounds, securing 82 of them so far.
• Adrian Brito has returned to his normal form, dominating inside and finishing with 15 points and six rebounds. He has been a force all season, leading the team in PPG with 12.2. Brito is not just scoring, but he is doing so very efficiently, shooting 60.9% from the field.
• The PSAC leader in three-point FG%, Ethan Millirons, continues to light it up from deep, going 2-4 and recording 12 total points. He is shooting 48.3% from three-point range and 50.7% overall.
• Nasir Griffin contributed a healthy 10 points as well. This marks the fifth time this season that the Warriors have had at least six players score in double figures. The bench has been a key reason that this has been possible, averaging 45.1 PPG, the second-best in the nation.
• The Warriors continue to put up points, averaging the second-most PPG as a team in the conference with 88.7. They only trail Gannon, who averages 94.9 PPG. A big reason for this offensive success is how efficient they are from the floor, shooting 47.5% per game.
• East Stroudsburg continues to go to work on the glass, averaging 39.7 RPG, the third-best average in the PSAC. They have been winning the rebounding margin by an impressive 6.5 RPG, the second-best mark in the conference.

SCOUTING MANSFIELD

• Mansfield recently took down Kutztown 66-60 on Jan. 29 to find themselves back in the win column. Since then, the Mountaineers have gone on a three-game skid. They currently are 1-15 in conference play and are in last place in the PSAC East standings.
• In their last matchup, Mansfield faced off against Millersville and gave them a tough fight until the end. They had it within seven points with a little over 8:00 left in the game, but couldn’t hang on after that and fell to the Marauders 80-64. 
• The star wing Sterling Scott has been leading the team in points this season with an average of 13.5 PPG. He has been red hot as of late, scoring in double figures in six-straight games and averaging 15.3 PPG over that span. He is also the team’s leader in rebounds, averaging 5.6 RPG, and the co-leader in assists, with 2.1 APG.
• Juju Pagan has been key for the Mountaineers, scoring more than 15 points in his last two games. The Kutztown transfer scored 21 in a battle against top-seeded Millersville in the last game. Pagan is averaging 10.5 PPG, the second-most for Mansfield. He is also tallying 2.1 APG, tied with Scott for best on the team.
• Mansfield has seen a new face in the starting lineup, with forward Darrien Berrios Rivera stepping into a big role late in the season. Starting the last four games, Berrios Rivera has boosted the Mountaineers’ offense, recording over 15 points in three of their last six matchups. He has been the team’s best sharpshooter, leading Mansfield in three-pointers made on the season with 29.
• Nasir Brown, who has been coming off the bench as of late, has been a solid scoring guard for Mansfield all year. He has been a consistent scorer on all levels of the floor, averaging 8.7 PPG.
• The Mountaineers have had some key help on both ends of the floor from their big men, Julian Wilson and Diarmid Stewart. Wilson is leading the team in blocks while recording 3.7 RPG. Stewart has been averaging 8.1 PPG on the season and has been hauling in 3.8 RPG.
• Mansfield is averaging 71.6 PPG and allowing 91.4 PPG to opposing teams. They like to speed things up, averaging 76.0 possessions per game, which is 47th in the country. 
• The Mountaineers average 12.2 APG and 13.8 TOPG, giving them a 0.88 assist/turnover ratio. They are losing the turnover margin by 2.27, forcing opponents to turn it over 11.5 times per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Warriors own the all-time head-to-head advantage over the Mountaineers, going 83-73 since the first meeting in 1927.
• ESU got the best of Mansfield in their first matchup of the season, coming out victorious 102-76.
• The Warriors have won the last 16 meetings and haven’t lost to Mansfield at home since 2011. During that stretch, ESU is 13-0 at home against the Mountaineers.