EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU men's basketball team took care of business on a busy night at Koehler Fieldhouse with a 99-86 win over Kutztown, setting the stage for a regular season finale at West Chester to determine the PSAC East top seed.
NOTABLES
- Nasir Griffin became the 36th player in ESU history to join the 1,000-point club, scoring 13 tonight. Griffin finished 5-11 from the field, one of five players to score double digits.
- Jalen Pichardo led all players in scoring with a career-high 22 points. Pichardo was also the most efficient player on the floor, making 10 of his 13 shots, including his lone attempt from beyond the arc. He also grabbed eight rebounds, cleaning the glass on both ends.
- Ethan Millirons, ESU's second senior who was honored before the game for senior night, led all players in three-point makes with five. Millirons finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
- Adrian Brito had another typical night for his standards, shooting 60.0% from the field and adding 15 points. Brito also contributed as a passer with five assists.
- Rounding out ESU's scorers in double figures, Ethan Maynard chipped in with 14 points. All of Maynard's makes from the field were from three-point distance, as he made two free throws as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors came out and blitzed the Golden Bears right out of the gate, building up an 11-point lead. ESU shot 7-13 from the field to open the game, with Maynard draining two three-pointers to lead the charge. That lead ballooned up to a 22-8 advantage going into the final five minutes of the half, as the Warriors stayed hot on offense. During this span of 7:28, the Warriors were automatic from deep, making all five of their attempts, and went 7-9 from the field to take a 39-16 lead. Kutztown was able to stop the bleeding going into halftime, but ESU went into the break ahead 49-31.
- Coming into the game just six points shy of the milestone, Griffin got his moment early in the second half. After Saleem Payne's pressure forced a turnover under the Golden Bears' basket, Christian Pierre-Louis found Griffin in the post, who fought through the contact for an and-one layup that put him over the mark.
- Kutztown wouldn't go away easily, as they made it 60-49 with 15 minutes to go. However, an 11-2 ESU run quickly washed away what ground the Golden Bears had made up.
- Trading runs, Kutztown had a response with a 13-2 run of its own, making it 80-69 with six minutes remaining. Defending the lead, the Warriors kept Kutztown out of striking distance, outscoring the Golden Bears 19-15 before a basket in garbage time made it a final score of 99-86.
GAME NOTES
- In addition to becoming the 36th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points, Griffin is also the 16th player to reach the milestone playing all four seasons under Head Coach Jeff Wilson.
- During halftime, the PSAC celebrated its 75th anniversary at Koehler Fieldhouse, recognizing 11 members of ESU's honorees, including Emily Mitarotonda, Stacey Perryman, Jady van Gils, Karen Way Gaita, Bob Rigby, Jonathan Roberts, Jimmy Terwilliger, Gary Kessel, Denny Douds, Sandy Miller, and Jerry Sheska.
- With one game remaining on the 2025-26 regular season schedule, a win or a loss on Saturday is the difference between the one seed or hosting a first-round playoff game. ESU, West Chester, and Shepherd are all currently tied at 14-6 in conference, with Millersville off on Saturday with a 15-6 record. A win for ESU at West Chester would clinch them the one seed, as they would be the only team in the group of four to sweep another team, beating Millersville twice this season. A loss to West Chester and a Shepherd loss to Bloomsburg would put ESU at the three seed, since ESU would have the tiebreaker over Shepherd with its record against Millersville.
UP NEXT
The Warriors travel down to West Chester for the regular season finale, a share of the PSAC East Title, and the one seed from the division in the PSAC Tournament, with tipoff slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
