Shepherd University graduate student forward Chase Paar dunks the ball, during Saturday’s game against East Stroudsburg University in the Butcher Center. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Both teams had enviable winning streaks. The streaks had visiting East Stroudsburg winning six straight, while Shepherd had reeled off five consecutive wins, all within the PSAC.

Both teams, along with West Chester, had risen to the top of the league’s East Division standings. Now the Warriors own a seven-game win streak, after finally erasing all of Shepherd’s long-held lead and winning when 6-foot-8 Nasir Griffin made an open three-point shot to erase the last of the Rams’ advantage, with about two seconds remaining . . . and give the opportunistic Warriors a what-just-happened, 71-70, win inside the disbelieving Butcher Center.

Even though it was playing on the road, the depth-rich Warriors came out using a full-court pressure defense against the Rams, a team that values its ability to control the tempo and pace of its games.

East Stroudsburg leaped out to a 7-0 lead with its defense and even blocked the first shot of Shepherd points leader Chase Paar.

But just as quickly, Shepherd charged back, got its first lead and inexorably skipped ahead to a seven-point lead by halftime.

Throughout the entirety of the second half, the Rams maintained some scoring advantage, even once claiming a 13-point lead.

But a heavy reliance on its accurate three-point shooting kept East Stroudsburg within range on the scoreboard. When not harming the Rams with its long-range accuracy, the Warriors used the free throw line to maintain contact.

Shepherd’s tenuous lead shrank. But it still held four-to-six-point cushions.

Marcus Banks’ successful free throw, after he had missed his first attempt of the two-shot drama, gave the Rams a 70-68 lead.

The Warriors penetrated toward the top of the lane and passed back out to Griffin, who unhurriedly and unerringly ended the now-building drama with his long-range score. Shepherd still had a slender chance to reverse its sudden change of luck, but nothing came of its timeout and then inbounds pass that was not rewarded.

The foul-line accuracy, a spate of late second-half scores from foul-plagued Lakeem McAliley, 12-for-25 accuracy on three-point attempts, a snug defense . . . and then Griffin’s cardiac three-pointer with only about two seconds showing on the game clock, were just enough to push East Stroudsburg’s record to 16-5 overall and 10-4 in the PSAC East Division. The stunned aftermath left Shepherd with a 14-7 overall record and a similar one to East Stroudsburg’s, 10-4 conference mark.

Chase Paar and Banks were Shepherd’s best scorers, while Ethan Millirons paced the still-streaking Warriors with his 17 points. The Warriors were 15-of-19 from the foul line, after a perfect 7-for-7 in the first half. Shepherd was 18-for-23 from the foul line.

Both teams have games left with both West Chester and Millersville — the fourth-place East Division contender.

It was a game where appearances and emotions were changed completely in the last-gasp seconds by Griffin’s field goal.