EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Paced by four players in double figures, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team earned an 83-81 overtime victory on the road Friday at East Stroudsburg University.
 
The victory stretches SRU's winning streak to five games while improving its overall record to 7-6 and its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference mark to 4-2. The Warriors see their six-game winning streak halted and their record drop to 9-3 overall and 3-2 inside the PSAC following the loss.
 
Three of Slippery Rock's top four point totals of the year have come over its season-long winning streak.
 
Saturday's win marks the first victory for Slippery Rock over ESU in East Stroudsburg in program history.
 
Day Waters and Luke Howes shouldered the bulk of the scoring load for The Rock.
 
Fresh off a career-high point total in SRU's win against Mansfield, Howes continued his hot streak with a 17-point, five-assist showing against ESU. In what was his top offensive performance in a Rock uniform to date, Waters came off the bench to go for 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.
 
Despite being plagued by foul trouble for most of the game, Jomo Goings and Maceo Austin supplied Slippery Rock with 14 points and 13 points, respectively. The duo also grabbed seven rebounds and one block apiece with Austin making three steals.
 
O'Meech Wilson battle4d his way inside to an eight-point, six-rebound, two-block, two-steal night.
 
As part of a game in which every point proved crucial, Sheick Samoura and Bobby Clifford came off the bench to combine for 11 points with Samoura blocking a pair of shots and Clifford coming up with a pair of steals as well.
 
Collectively, Slippery Rock shot 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the field overall, 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range and 70.8 percent (17-of-24) at the foul line.
 
Already the top shot-blocking team in the PSAC, SRU registered seven more rejections Saturday while also forcing the Warriors into 22 miscues which resulted in 23 points off turnovers.
 
Each team controlled a half in regulation as Slippery Rock largely dominated the opening 20 minutes by converting 51.6 percent of its field goals – including a 4-for-8 effort from distance – and holding ESU to an 8-for-28 shooting performance on the way to taking a 41-25 lead into the halftime break. Waters scored 10 points in the first half.
 
East Stroudsburg countered in the second half. Down 20 points (45-25) with 19 minutes to play in regulation, the Warriors rattled off a 36-16 run over the following 15 minutes to pull even with SRU at 61-61.
 
The final four minutes of regulation saw SRU and ESU trade field goals and foul shots before once again being deadlocked at 71-71 after 40 minutes.
 
The opening portion of overtime did little to provide any separation as the two evenly matched teams again found themselves locked in a 78-78 tie with 2:13 showing on the clock. However, the difference in the game occurred in the next three possessions.
 
Waters first scored what proved to be the game-deciding points off a jumper that put SRU ahead 80-78 followed by Samoura forcing an East Stroudsburg turnover which gave way to a Wilson layup, thus stretching Slippery Rock's advantage out to four points and forcing an ESU timeout at the 1:15 mark in overtime.
 
While the Warriors would score out of the timeout and have two opportunities to tie the game late, they could never quite pull even with SRU in The Rock's eventual two-point victory.
 
East Stroudsburg ended the game shooting 42.4 percent (25-for-59) from the field overall, 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from 3-point territory and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) at the foul line. As a team, ESU held a +7 (43-36) rebounding margin.
 
Lakeem McAliley, the PSAC's second-leading scorer, was limited to just 10 points. Cam Young had a game-high 18 points for East Stroudsburg, but was held to just one made free throw in overtime.  
 
Slippery Rock returns to competition 7 p.m. Jan. 3, 2025 when it opens the PSAC West portion of its schedule against Seton Hill University at Morrow Field House.
 
 
 

 
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