EAST STROUDSBURG – Led by
Lakeem McAliley's sixth consecutive 20-point performance, the No. 15/5 East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team recorded its sixth consecutive victory as Warrior head coach
Jeff Wilson earned his 400th career win in the process on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.
With the win, the nationally ranked Warriors (19-2, 13-2 PSAC) extended their winning streak to six and remain in sole possession of first place in the PSAC East. The Rams (9-11, 6-9 PSAC) see its win streak snapped at three with the loss.
Notables
- With the historic victory, Jeff Wilson becomes just the sixth coach in PSAC history to reach 400 career wins. He joins Charles Chronister (Bloomsburg, 559), Bob Rukavina (548, Pitt-Johnstown), Joe Lombardi (412, IUP), Greg Walcavich (Edinboro, 412), Ron Rigther (Clarion, 402) as members of the PSAC 400-win club. Wilson now holds a career record of 400-199 in 21 seasons as ESU, becoming ESU's all-time wins leader during the 2014-15 season.
- McAliley led the game with 20 points on the afternoon, extending his 20-point streak to now six consecutive games. Earlier this week at Mansfield, the Philadelphia native became the first Warrior to record 20 points in five consecutive games under head coach Jeff Wilson (since 2002-03). Against the Rams, he recorded five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 25 minutes on the court.
- Nasir Griffin recorded 13 points and neared a double-double with eight rebounds. Also reaching double digits in scoring was Jaelen McGlone, with 11 points. Defensively, he brought down six rebounds and led ESU with five assists and three steals.
- Cam Young stuffed the box score with eight points, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
- Justin Paz became the 35th member of ESU's 1000-point club in the win, knocking down a signature 3-pointer to jump from 999 career points to 1,003 with 11:51 remaining in the first half. The native of Allentown ranks fifth all-time at ESU in 3-pointers made and 10th in career assists. He closed the day with six points, four assists and a steal.
- The Rams were led in scoring by Jarod Robinson (17 pts., 10 Reb.), Marcus Banks (16 pts., 8 reb.) and Carson Poffenberger (13 pts.).
- McAliley is a candidate for PSAC East Athlete of the Week. In wins against Kutztown, Mansfield and Shepherd, McAliley averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 4.0 steals, 1.3 blocks while shooting an efficient 60.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range. He accomplished those statistics in just an average of 27.2 minutes per game.
- ESU is undefeated this season when McAliley registers at least 12 points. McAliley was held to six points against Gannon and 11 points against Lock Haven.
- The ESU Athletic Department honored its tremendous women's athletics programs throughout the day in celebration of National Girls and Women's in Sports Day.
How It Happened
- Shepherd struck first and built an 18-9 lead with 11:51 left in the first half. Paz ended the run with a 3-pointer for his 1,000th career point, with ESU surging ahead of SU on a 17-6 run to grab its first lead of the game at 26-24 with 6:22 to go. The Warriors closed the half strong with a 15-8 run, taking a 41-32 lead into the locker room.
- The Rams cut their deficit to as low as three points at 50-47 after starting the second half on a 15-7 sprint, but the Warriors took back control with nine consecutive points, including five from Shamir Johnson during a two-minute period. Leading 59-47 with 9:50 remaining, the Warriors held at least an eight-point lead the rest of the way, posting a 14-point win over SU with a final score of 73-59.
- Following the game, ESU administrators past and present, basketball alumni and former assistant coaches expressed their gratitude and congratulated Coach Wilson on reaching the 400-win milestone.
Up Next
- ESU has a bye on Wednesday and resumes competition on Sat., Feb. 10 for Alumni Day at Koehler Fieldhouse against West Chester (13-8, 10-5 PSAC). Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. against the Golden Rams.
