Long Posts 31; Men Down No. 12 Shippensburg, 93-70

Box Score

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Tyrell Long (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead host West Chester University to a 93-70 PSAC East men's basketball victory over visiting No. 12 Shippensburg Wednesday night inside Hollinger Field House.
 
West Chester (12-12, 10-9 PSAC) has now won three straight and four out of five to move to .500 on the season and above .500 in league play for the first time since the middle of December. Shippensburg (21-3, 17-3) shot a season-low 36.4 percent and yielded a season-high 93 points in the loss.
 
The Golden Rams, on the other hand, shot a season-best 60.6 percent from the field, including another season-best 52.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. West Chester posted a 59.4 field goal percentage in a 100-92 win over East Stroudsburg last Saturday.
 
However, the Rams remain in a tie for fourth place with Bloomsburg, who held on for a road win at Mansfield. The Raiders, despite the loss, did clinch a first-round bye for the PSAC Tournament. By virtue of Kutztown's win over East Stroudsburg, both the Golden Bears and Raiders will be guaranteed the Top 2 divisional seeds.
 
West Chester wrestled control of the conference tilt away from their guests during a 6:43 span early in the second half. The Golden Rams outscored the Raiders, 16-5, in that stretch to open up an 11-point lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Jackson Hyland (Avondale, Pa./Kennett) and Long gave West Chester some breathing room. A jumper and a 3-ball from Matt Penecale (Jenkintown, Pa./Abington) closed the run.
 
West Chester put four players in double figures. Penecale finished with 18 points and seven assists while Zach Bare (Reiserstown, Md./St. Paul's) contributed 15 points and seven assists off the bench. Hyland posted 11 points and six boards as well. Dashon Giddings (Philadelphia, Pa./Delaware Valley Charter) registered eight points and six assists.
 
The Golden Rams scored 48 points in the paint – compared to 43 total points for the game the last time these two schools met in Heiges Field House in January. West Chester had 18 second-chance points.
 
West Chester heads to Lock Haven Saturday afternoon for a pivotal PSAC East showdown that will have playoff implications tied to it for both institutions. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. after the women's contest at 2 p.m.