Unblemished Men's Basketball Travels to Bowie State Tonight

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West Chester Statistics | West Chester Roster | Bowie State Statistics | Bowie States Roster

GAME INFORMATION

Opponent: Bowie State University
Date: Monday, December 11, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex - Bowie, MD.
Live Audio: http://wche1520.com/
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bowie/mbball/


BREAKDOWN

SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
Head Coach: Damien Blair
Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
Overall Record: 8-0
Conference Record: 5-0
Streak: W8
Team Page: http://www.wcupagoldenrams.com/index.aspx?path=mbball
 

Flock Talk
Following a 58-50 victory over Mercyhurst University on Saturday that moved them 8-0 overall to start the season, the West Chester University men's basketball team returns to action this evening with a game against non-conference opponent Bowie State University at the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex in Bowie, Maryland. Last time out, the Golden Rams were locked in a defensive battle against Mercyhurst inside the  Hollinger Field House, in a game that saw both teams combine for just 47 points through the first 20 minutes of action. Despite the low scoring first half, the Golden Rams responded in the second frame (outscoring the Lakers, 33-28) to grab the 58-50 victory at home to propel West Chester to 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. Tyrell Long (Philadelphia, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt)'s 14 points and nine boards led the Golden Rams on Saturday, while Evan-Eric Longino (Furlong, Pa. / Germantown Academy) chipped in 13 points in his Golden Rams' debut. Jackson Hyland (Avondale, Pa. / Kennett) logged 12 points and six boards in the win and Matt Penecale (Jenkintown, Pa. / Abington) contributed 10 points, eight boards, and three helpers in a team-high 40 minutes played. Although it escaped with the win, West Chester struggled to find the bottom of the net against Mercyhurst on Saturday – converting on just 27% of its shots from both the field (13-of-48) and from downtown (66-of-22). Despite its shooting from the floor being shaky, it was the Golden Rams' touch from the charity stripe that ultimately made the difference in Saturday's contest. Led by a team-high nine points from the line by Long, West Chester managed to knock down 26 of its 36 attempts from the foul line on Saturday, giving the home team a 20-point advantage from 15 feet out.
 
Roster Check
Long sits atop the Golden Rams' roster and ranks seventh in the PSAC with 20.4 points per game. The guard's 11 steals are tied for the top spot on West Chester with three players, while his 8.0 rebounds, 22 total assists, and four blocks are all are second on the Golden Rams through eight games. Appearing in a team-high 35.8 minutes per outing, Long has logged at least 14 points in every game this season, highlighted by a 30-point game in West Chester's league win at Clarion University on November 11.

Starting in all eight games, Hyland ranks second on the squad with 17.9 points/game on a team-high 55.2% (No. 8 PSAC) shooting from the floor in 33.6 minutes per contest. Entering tonight's non-conference affair at Bowie State, Hyland is averaging 17.6 points and just north of four rebounds per game in contests outside of the PSAC.

Looking across West Chester's 13, junior Frank Rokins (Plainfield, N.J. / St. Mary's) leads the squad and ranks seventh in the league at 8.6 rebounds per game to go along with 11.0 points/game, while senior Penecale's 27 assists (3.4/game) through eight games are the most of any player on the Golden Rams' roster.  
 
Team Stats and All That
Holding opponents to just 38% shooting from the floor, West Chester sits atop of the PSAC and ranks No. 15 nationally in field-goal percentage defense, while ranking amongst the national leaders in scoring defense (65.1), scoring margin (14.1), rebounding margin (+6.7), and steals per game (8.7). The Golden Rams have not allowed an opponent to shoot higher than 50% from the field in a single game this season and the team heads to Maryland this evening having kept its last two opponents to a combined 48-of-122 (38%) shooting from the floor. The Golden Rams' 8-0 start is the second best kick off to a season in program history and a win against the Bulldogs tonight would tie the record (9-0) set back in the 2009-2010 season.



SCOUTING BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY
Head Coach: Darrell Brooks
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
Overall Record: 5-5
Conference Record: 0-0
Streak: L1
Team Page: http://bsubulldogs.com/index.aspx?path=mbball


Pack Facts
Coming out of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Bowie State University returns home for tonight's game with a 5-5 overall record and having lost at Kutztown University 87-79 in its last appearance. Reigning CIAA Athlete of the Week Omari George paced the Bulldogs with 19 points in Tuesday's loss, while Dayshawn Wells and David Belle chipped in 18 points and 12 points, respectively. Saiquan Jamison was the team's leading rebounder with seven and Ahmaad Wilson handed out a team-best seven assists against the Golden Bears. Tuesday's loss was Bowie State's first in the last five games (4-1) and marked the second time this season that the Bulldogs were defeated by a PSAC school.
 
Roster Check
Putting up 16.8 points per outing, George leads the Bulldogs and ranks eighth within the CIAA in scoring, while also pacing the defensive effort with a team-high 18 steals through 10 games. The guard's 52% shooting from the field leads the Bulldogs thus far - ranking him amongst the leaders of the CIAA -  and he currently sits at No. 2 on the squad with 6.7 boards/game.

Wilson's 14.5 points per outing are No. 2 on Bowie State this season and he joins George as the only Bulldog to average in double figures to start the season. Wilson had some decent success against the Golden Rams last season, leading Bowie State with 20 points in a hard-fought 94-92 West Chester victory inside the Hollinger Field House.

Standing at 6-8, sophomore Jamison leads both Bowie State and the CIAA in rebounding with 93 total boards (9.3/game) through ten contests. Jamison has four double-doubles on the year and has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in all but four games overall.
 
Team Stats and All That
Totaling 759 points thus far, the Bulldogs boast the No.1 scoring offense in the CIAA at 75.0 points per game. Bowie State leads the conference with 14.9 offensive rebounds/game, while its +1.1 rebounding margin puts the team at No. 4 amongst eligible programs.  The Bulldogs' 63.8 field goal attempts per outing are fifth most in the league through 10 games, while its 15.8 free throw attempts/game also lands the squad at No. 5 amongst CIAA representatives.