SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. — The ESU men's basketball team traveled to Shepherd on Saturday, falling in double overtime to the Rams 100-95. ESU is now 10-6 in conference and a half game back for third place in the division standings.
NOTABLES
- ESU had six players score double figures for the third time this season, with an even three starters and three players off the bench making up the group.
- Saleem Payne did his best to will the Warriors to a win with his late-game shots on the offensive end, finishing with a career-high 20 points. Payne shot 9-14 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range, adding five rebounds and four assists as well.
- Ethan Maynard stood out offensively as well, as he shot the ball well for an 18-point outing. He went 7-12 from the field with two three-pointers and grabbed four rebounds.
- Adrian Brito has seemed to get back into his rhythm offensively, finishing with back-to-back double-digit scoring games. Brito was the team's third-leading scorer, finishing with 15 points and shooting 6-11 from the field.
- Jalen Pichardo played the most minutes of any Warrior, recording a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes.
- Ethan Millirons was efficient inside and beyond the three-point line, going 4-6 from the field and 2-4 from deep for 12 points.
- Nasir Griffin chipped in with another 10 points to match his season average, shooting 50.0% and also swatting three shots on the defensive end.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors were the first team to reach 10 points, leading 11-9 after the first eight minutes off of an and-1 layup from Pichardo. The Rams offense started to get going right after, as Elwyne Wordlaw and Marcus Banks combined for 15 points while holding ESU to five points over the next five minutes. Layups from Griffin, Millirons, and Terrell Pitts helped stop the run, making it 26-24 Shepherd with 5:24 remaining in the half. After a couple of baskets to extend Shepherd's lead, Millirons and Maynard scored the last five points of the half to make it 35-31 at the break.
- Shepherd came out of halftime shooting lights out, making eight of its first nine attempts from the field. The Rams' lead reached a game-high of 12 following a Marcus Banks jump shot to make it 53-41 with 14 minutes left in regulation. ESU had a strong response, though, coming back with a 12-3 run of its own. The Warriors got points from five different players, battling back to make it a three-point game. Two minutes later, Keni Williams tied the game off a steal and layup, and Brito finished off a three-point play to give the Warriors a 62-61 lead. The teams stayed neck-and-neck with each other down to the end of regulation, as Shepherd's Colby White missed a corner three on the final play of the second half.
- Payne put the Warriors ahead in overtime, 79-78 with 2:53 left, beginning a streak of seven-straight points scored by the junior. Payne nailed a pair of moving midrange jump shots to keep ESU's offense going, and following a pair of missed free throws that would have extended Shepherd's lead to five, Payne got the ball up the floor and took a stepback three-pointer, tying the game with 17 seconds. ESU got the ball back with four seconds remaining after a Marcus Banks turnover, but Pichardo couldn't get his layup attempt to go as the teams headed to a second overtime tied 84-84.
- Shepherd opened double overtime with two successful trips down the floor to take a four-point lead in the opening minute and a half of the period. Maynard made a nice backdoor cut that Payne was able to fire a pass in for an open layup to make it 88-86, but Shepherd scored on its next four trips down the floor to take a 95-88 lead with 1:04 left. ESU was unable to get the game back to within one possession, and Shepherd held on for a 100-95 double overtime win.
UP NEXT
The Warriors have two prime chances next week to regain ground in the standings with two games at home. ESU starts the week with a Wednesday night game against Mansfield at 7:30 p.m.
