EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Employing a patchwork lineup, the IUP men's basketball team ran out of gas in a 65-48 loss to East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.
IUP (7-4, 4-1) faced its toughest road test of the season without leaders
Dallis Dillard and
Garvin Clarke and could not solve a pressing defense employed by East Stroudsburg (9-1, 4-1). ESU snapped IUP's six-game winning streak in a rematch of last season's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Semifinals, using timely responses throughout the second half in the victory.
Ethan Porterfield recorded the 15th double-double of his career with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He pushes his career scoring total to 1,538, moving into 11th in program history on the all-time scoring list. The senior guard also moved into a tie for sixth in program history with 578 made field goals and sole possession of eighth in career three-point field goals (189).
Jaylen Stewart added 12 points and five assists, stepping in as the team's primary point guard, while
Josh Petteno and
Jordan Lambert logged six points apiece. ESU put four scorers in double figures, including a double-double for Lakeem McAliley with 17 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Justin Paz added 16 points with Tyshawn Trail posting 11 points off the bench, helping the Warriors snap a five-game slide against the Crimson Hawks. ESU was listed among the teams receiving votes in the latest NABC DII Coaches Poll, picking up its first win against IUP inside Koehler Fieldhouse since January 2013.
Both sides went about four minutes without a bucket as IUP held an early 5-3 lead at the game's first media timeout. Petteno knocked down his ninth triple of the season before the Hawks went cold from the field.
The scoreless drought extended to over seven minutes for IUP as ESU took a 10-5 edge with seven consecutive points. IUP went 2-for-17 to start the game despite some decent scoring looks, while ESU received five points earlier from the duo of Nasir Griffin and McAliley.
Griffin logged 10 points and eight rebounds for ESU, which shot 36.5% for the contest and held the edge in rebounding. IUP mustered just 27.5% from the floor and 16% (4-25) from three-point range.
A pair of
Dolan Waldo foul shots sliced the IUP deficit to 12-9 before
Jaylen Stewart worked the ESU lead to 14-11 at the 9:22 mark. The pace quickened as IUP hung close, trailing 21-17 before enduring another tough shooting stretch.
ESU slowly expanded its lead to 10 with a 5-0 run that kept IUP off the board for nearly three minutes of game action. Stewart, who posted a team-high six points in the first half for the Hawks, drove in for a much-needed bucket with 1:36 left in the half, bringing the Hawks back within 29-21.
Porterfield rounded out the scoring of the opening half for the Hawks, trailing 29-23. The Hawks shot just 29.4% from the floor in the frame, while ESU employed a stout press defense and held the lead for over 15 minutes of the half.
The shooting woes carried over to the start of the second half for both sides. A fadeaway jumper from Griffin lifted ESU to a 36-25 advantage as IUP mustered just two second half points over the opening four minutes.
Trail hit a key triple before converting a layup off a steal for a 46-29 ESU advantage. The Warriors zipped ahead 48-31 with a 9-2 scoring run as IUP continued struggling from beyond the arc. Petteno canned his second triple of the afternoon with IUP down 51-38 before the Warriors responded back on the ensuing possession.
IUP got back within single digits after a trey from Porterfield and driving basket for Stewart at 54-45. The Warriors responded promptly again with a pullup jumper from Jaelen McGlone that stretched the edge back to 11 points with under six minutes remaining.
Sloppy play continued across the board as ESU maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Up Next
IUP returns home, continuing PSAC crossover play against Shepherd on Wednesday, January 3 for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
