Redshirt junior forward Brittany McClain had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead the Warriors (1-2), who were playing for the first time since a 56-49 win over Concordia (N.Y.) on November 17.
Sophomore center Kelly Sorber scored six points and set career-highs with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, but it wasn’t enough to offset three players in double figures for USP. Alyssa Hamm scored a game-high 19 points, shot 3-for-4 from the three-point line and added six rebounds, Caitlin Shaw had 15 points and seven boards and Marissa Chesnavich chipped in with 10 points.
The Warriors led 29-27 after a first half that saw the lead change hands six times in the first 11 minutes. McClain scored seven of ESU’s first 15 points and a layup by sophomore guard Barb Borst, her only bucket of the game, gave the Warriors a 17-15 lead that they would hold onto for the rest of the half.
A jumper by Sorber pushed the lead to seven (23-16) with less than six minutes left in the opening period, and baskets by sophomore guard Angel Gaffney and freshman forward Nicole Hill kept the Warriors in front. Gaffney made a pair of free throws with to give ESU a 29-22 lead with 1:48 left in the half before USP scored the final five points to close within two at intermission.
Shaw and Hamm combined to score USP’s first 13 points of the second half, including an 11-0 run in the first five minutes, before McClain hit a three-pointer to cut the margin to 40-34. ESU pulled within five on a layup by junior guard Jennifer Scherer (seven points, five rebounds) with 12:44 remaining, but USP eventually stretched the lead to double figures with a 10-2 stretch to stay ahead for good.
USP held a 41-23 advantage on the scoreboard in the second half, shot 50 percent (15-for-30) from the field and got 13 points from Shaw and 12 points from Hamm. The Devils shot 39.3 percent for the game and were 16-for-27 from the foul line. ESU shot 32.8 percent overall and 8-for-13 from the stripe. Both teams grabbed 44 rebounds and USP held a 23-16 advantage in turnovers.
McClain leads ESU in scoring with 15.3 points per game through the first three games and has 46 points for the season – 17 away from the total of 63 that she posted in 16 games last year. Borst entered the game averaging 18.0 points but was just 1-for-11 from the field.
Sorber has notched career-highs in rebounds in each of her last two games after recording a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the win over Concordia. She is averaging 7.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks so far this season.
The Warriors are back in action this weekend as the Warriors host the 46th Annual Pocono Classic hosted by State Farm on Friday and Saturday at Koehler Fieldhouse. The action gets underway at 1 p.m. on both days, with ESU’s women hosting Nyack at 5 p.m. on Friday and Felician at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
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