Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Ralph Hegamin scored 17 points and Kehinde Roberts added 14 as West Chester University stunned No. 16 Kutztown, 75-68, in a PSAC East showdown inside Hollinger Field House Wednesday evening.
West Chester (15-9, 4-7 PSAC East) kept alive its slim hopes for a playoff spot with the upset while Kutztown (20-4, 7-4) fell out of a tie for first place as a result of the loss. The win ended a personal six-game losing streak to the Golden Bears and marked second-year head coach Damien Blair’s first win over Kutztown veteran mentor Bernie Driscoll.
Kutztown’s national player of the year candidate and former West Chester Henderson star Stephen Dennis poured in a game-high 27 points, but shot just 9 of 27 from the field, playing all 40 minutes of the contest.
Seven minutes into the game it looked as though Dennis, the PSAC’s leading scorer this winter, and the visiting Bears were going to put away West Chester early when Kutztown jumped out to a 13-3 lead. However, the Golden Rams showed their mettle with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes that eventually produced the hosts’ first lead of the game, 19-17, with 8:35 to go before halftime.
Freshman Tim Flecken provided the spark off the bench for West Chester’s rally with a pair of 3-pointers and a layup with a 1:40 span that cut a nine-point lead down to one (17-16).
With the Golden Rams holding on to a three-point lead at the break (41-38), it was West Chester’s turn to open the second half with another run in the first seven minutes that gave the home team its largest lead of the game (57-46) with 13:17 left – a lead it would never relinquish.
This time it was senior all-leaguer Hegamin, who sparked the rally with seven of the Rams’ 16 points to open the final frame. His 3-pointer with 13:17 closed out the rally.
The Golden Rams shot 50 percent in the first half (15 of 30) and 44.9 percent (22-for-49) for the game. Kutztown struggled all night from the field, mustering a 39.1 percent (25 of 64) in taking 15 more shots than West Chester.
Hegamin finished with his ninth double-double of the season, posting 11 rebounds to go with his 17 points. Freshman Isaiah Twine scored nine points off the bench and contributed a season-high five assists. Flecken finished with eight points as well.
West Chester’s three freshmen combined to score 23 points in the contest.
Kutztown’s Ryan Washington, third in the PSAC in scoring average this year, put up 12 points and 14 rebounds. Julius Gray registered 15 points for the Bears. Kutztown’s bench scored just three points all game.
Mansfield’s win over East Stroudsburg (7-4 PSAC East) dropped the Warriors into a tie for second place in the league standings with Kutztown while Cheyney’s (8-3) win at Millersville (3-8) Wednesday night leaves the Wolves atop the Eastern Division all alone.
West Chester sits in sixth place, three games back of fourth-place Mansfield in the league standings. However, the Golden Rams would need to win its last three regular season games, including Saturday’s tilt at Mansfield (7-4), while hoping the Mountaineers drop all three of its remaining games. Bloomsburg (5-6) would also need to lose two of its remaining three.
West Chester travels to Mansfield University on Saturday for a must-win conference tilt against the Mountaineers. Tip is set for 3 p.m.
