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WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Eyeing its second 7-0 start in the last three seasons, the West Chester University men's basketball team returned to Hollinger Field House on Sunday afternoon for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover matchup against Seton Hill University.
Sunday's contest marked just the second game for the Golden Rams (6-0, 2-0 PSAC) inside its home venue this season, as West Chester was forced to play its initial "home" games at the Schwartz Center as Widener University due to renovations being made at Hollinger. West Chester reopened its home court in a big way yesterday by downing a tough Indiana University of Pennsylvania squad 93-78 behind a combined 52 points from
Tyrell Long (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and
Jackson Hyland (Avondale, Pa./Kennett). Conversely, Seton Hill came into Sunday's road contest touting a 3-4 overall record and coming off a lopsided 109-85 defeat at East Stroudsburg last night.
The Golden Rams and Griffins' matchup on Sunday pitted two very similar teams against each other, as both squads try to use their defensive pressure to dictate the flow of the game. West Chester boasted a top five defense in the country heading into this weekend's conference doubleheader, while Seton Hill ranked inside the top 20 nationally in blocked shots thanks to the interior dominance of center Spencer Casson. Although this game on paper was about two stout defensive teams, it was the West Chester offensive attack that stole that show in Hollinger on Sunday. Powered by four players in double figures, the Golden Rams put up its third-highest scoring output of the season and downed the Griffins 88-75 on Sunday to push West Chester to 7-0 overall behind a 4-0 mark in conference play.
The visitors jumped out a 10-4 advantage to start the game, before a triple by
Steve Smith (Ambler, Pa. / La Salle) would spark an 11-0 spurt for West Chester to put the Golden Rams up 15-10 with 12:40 to play in the opening stanza. The home team began to steadily build on its lead over the next few minutes and eventually stretched the cushion to double figures (25-11) following a layup from Jawan Collins
(Yeadon, Pa./Academy Park). It was all Golden Rams in the waning minutes of the first half, as the team was able to extend its lead to 18 points on two separate occasions before a jumper by
Matt Penecale (Jenkintown, Pa./Abington) with just seven seconds remaining gave the Golden Rams their largest lead of the frame (48-28) as time expired.
Up big in the early portion of the second half, it looked like the Golden Rams were going to cruise to a big victory, but the Griffins had other plans. Down 56-32, Seton Hill orchestrated a 17-1 run to cut the deficit to just six (57-51) with 11:18 to play in regulation. West Chester was able to push its lead back into the double digits over the next few minutes, before another big Griffins run (10-0) brought Seton Hill within five (80-75) with under a minute to play. With the game in his hands, senior Penecale stepped to the free throw line in the final moments and converted each of his six attempts down the stretch to seal the Golden Rams' 13-point win at home.
Long poured in a team-high 20 points and nine boards in the win, while Hyland chipped in 19 points and three assists in a team-high 39 minutes played.
Frank Rokins (Plainfield, N.J. / St. Mary's) contributed 15 points and eight boards on Sunday and Penecale ended the game with 13 points, six boards, and two assists for West Chester.
Trevor Blondin and Spencer Casson each tallied 16 points for Seton Hill on Sunday, with Casson adding seven rebounds and two blocks in the loss.
