Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Freshman guard
Zach Bare (Reiserstown, Md./St. Paul's School) hit a jumper in the lane with 16 seconds remaining, putting West Chester on top for good, en route to a 94-92 non-league men's basketball victory over Bowie State inside Hollinger Field House Saturday afternoon.
Trailing by seven with 3:07 to play, West Chester (3-2) closed out the game on a 14-5 run, fueled by seven points from
Malik Jackson (Lansdowne, Pa./Penn Wood), who drained a 3-pointer from 22 feet with 44 ticks left to pull the hosts within one (92-91) late.
Jackson then came up with a steal on the Bulldogs' next possession. His jumper did not fall, but
Tim Toro (Scranton, Pa./Abington Heights) came up with the offensive rebound that led to Bare's game-winner.
Miko Jenkins (Harrisburg, Pa./Steel) hit one of two free throws with three seconds remaining to give West Chester its final margin of victory over Bowie State (2-3).
Bare finished with a game-high, and career-best, 26 points while Jackson put up 19 to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Matt Penecale (Jenkintown, Pa./Abington) posted 14 points and dished out eight assists.
The back-and-forth contest saw eight lead changes and four ties in 40 minutes of action while West Chester's first-year players (Bare, Jenkins and Toro) delivered clutch plays down the stretch to help secure the home win.
The Golden Rams trailed by as many as 10 points on two different occasions in the first half, but battled back to take a 46-40 advantage by the break. The Rams also opened up a 12-point lead early in the second quarter, just to see the Bulldogs come roaring back with a 29-17 spurt over more than eight minutes that left the game tied at 80-80 with six minutes left.
The win kept West Chester perfect against Bowie State in six tries in the all-time series. The Golden Rams hit a season-best 14 3-pointers in the game (14-for-32). Head coach Damien Blair's squad upped its winning streak to three straight, after opening the season with a pair of losses. The Rams are 3-0 when they lead at halftime so far this winter.
West Chester begins a five-game road swing on Tuesday at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
