Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Lance McDowell registered a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Shannon Givens posted 12 points of his own to lead West Chester to a 67-46 victory over Immaculata in a non-league men's basketball contest inside Hollinger Field House.
West Chester (7-1) increased its winning streak on the season to six straight with the victory. Immaculata (2-4) trailed by just two points at halftime and jumped on top 30-29 momentarily in the second half, before the host Golden Rams put away the Might Macs down the stretch.
It marked the first meeting on the hardwood between the two school's men's programs, whose histories are polar opposites of one another. West Chester is the oldest Division II program in the NCAA (114 years), and picked up its 1,290th career victory Saturday night, while Immaculata is in the midst of its sixth season at a school that was an all-women's institution until 2005.
West Chester jumped out early on its Division III opponent, taking a 21-7 lead with just over seven minutes gone in the contest. However, the Golden Rams managed just eight more points the rest of the half as the Mighty Macs chipped away at the lead with a 20-8 run of its own before the break.
A free throw from Nelson Torres two minutes into the second half gave Immaculata its only lead of the contest (30-29). That was the spark West Chester needed to put things back together and take control of the game. The Rams went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to push out to a 37-30 lead, which it would never relinquish.
West Chester shot 52 percent in the second half (13 of 25) while holding Immaculata to just 19 points after the break. It also marked the fourth time this year that the Golden Rams defense has held an opponent to under 50 points in a game.
The Mighty Macs were plaqued by a poor performance from the foul line all night long, converting just 31.6 percent of its free throws (6-for-19), including 2-for-14 in the second half.
Five West Chester players reached double figures. Miguel Bochachica, Harley Williamson and Londell Nimmons each posted 10 points to complement McDowell and Givens' 12. Eli Daniel contributed eight points, six rebounds and five assists in an all-around performance from the senior co-captain.
Immaculata was led by Rob Siter's game-high 22 points and three steals. Torres lended 11 points and three assists to the effort as well.
West Chester is off until after the new year when the Golden Rams travel to Clarion on Jan. 3 and Gannon on Jan. 4 in the first of two straight PSAC crossover weekends.
