Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Senior center Lance McDowell scored a season-high 29 points as host West Chester topped visiting Kutztown, 103-88, in a PSAC East men’s basketball showdown inside Hollinger Field House Wednesday evening.
West Chester (12-9, 9-8 PSAC) has now won three in a row and six out of its last seven. The Golden Rams’ 103-point outburst is the highest point total of the season and tied the most points scored by the Rams against Kutztown (14-7, 11-6) in the history of the series.
Kutztown shot well, 43.5 percent from the field, but could not keep up with the lights out shooting from the host Golden Rams. West Chester shot an impressive 44.7 percent from the field in the first half and an astounding 73.1 percent in the second half.
In front of an electric crowd at Hollinger, the Golden Rams jumped out to a quick lead and extended the advantage throughout with a 14-6 run that was sparked by relentless team defense and great ball movement. West Chester went into halftime leading the Golden Bears, 46-39.
West Chester began to pull away from Kutztown in the second half gradually with a 16-10 run early on. The Golden Rams benefited from multiple trips to the foul line, converting 17 of 22 free throws in the second half. McDowell was perfect from the line, converting all six of his attempts.
Kutztown never backed off and cut the once large West Chester lead to 10 (94-84) with 2:43 to go in the contest. The Golden Rams finished the job, stretching the lead back to 15 by the end of the game.
Guards Jon Breeden and Carl Johnson both finished in double figures with 17 and 11 points, respectively. All Golden Rams who played contributed at least four points to the team. Breeden also had a team-high seven assists with Johnson finishing with five assists. The team also caused 17 turnovers and recorded nine steals with Jaleel Mack leading all players with three.
Four players from the visiting Golden Bears finished in double figures with Nate Edwards recording 26 points on 7 of 16 shooting. Micah Fraction (12), Eric Brennan (20), and Devon McBride (18) were the other three players to finish in double figures. Brennan recorded seven rebounds to lead Kutztown. McBride entered the game as the PSAC's leading scorer, averaging 21.2 points per game. The Bears' bench registered just seven points on the night while West Chester's posted 33.
Wednesday’s win marked the second time this year that West Chester defeated the first-place team in the Eastern Division (Bloomsburg). It also marked the first time since Feb. 12, 2005 that the Golden Rams reached the century mark against a conference opponent (Mansfield).
West Chester University will hope to continue its current hot streak Saturday when the Golden Rams visit Bloomsburg in a key PSAC East contest at 3 p.m.
