WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Senior guard
Jackson Hyland (AVONDALE, PA./KENNETT) tied a season high with 27 points and senior forward
Frank Rokins (PLAINFIELD, N.J./ST. MARY'S) equaled a season high with 14 rebounds, as the West Chester University men's basketball team downed Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) divisional foe Bloomsburg 86-63 on Saturday inside the Hollinger Field House. Saturday's win marked the fifth straight for the Golden Rams and the W brought West Chester's record inside Hollinger to 6-0 during the 2018-19 campaign.
THE BASICS
Score: West Chester 86, Bloomsburg 63
Records: West Chester 11-5 (7-2 PSAC) | Bloomsburg 5-8 (2-6 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House – West Chester, Pa.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Senior center Miko Jenkins (HARRISBURG, PA./STEEL) got the home team on the board first with a layup and the Golden Rams never looked back. Up 17-11, West Chester rattled off eight-unanswered points to push its advantage to 25-11 with just over 10 minutes to play in the opener.
- The Huskies managed to trim the deficit down to as little as five points (29-24) following a layup by Travis Elmore, but that would be as close as the visitors would get from the remainder of the contest.
- Another layup by Jenkins would bookend the first 20 minutes of action with the home team holding on to a 45-34 lead entering the locker rooms.
- Elmore kicked off the second half with a layup to bring BU within nine (45-36), but the Golden Rams quickly answered with five points in a row to stretch the cushion to 50-36 with 17 minutes to play.
- WCU maintained control of the game for the duration of the contest, stretching its lead to as large as 24 points (66-42) with 11:15 to play following a free throw by sophomore Evan-Eric Longino (FURLONG, PA./GERMANTOWN ACADEMY).
- With the game well in hand, Hyland closed out the evening with a layup off an assist from Rokins to bring the final score to 86-63 in favor of the Golden Rams.
WEST CHESTER RUNDOWN
- The Golden Rams connected on 47% (34-of-72) of their shots from the floor and 8-of-21 (38%) of their attempts from downtown in the win. West Chester ended the game with a 48-34 advantage in points in the paint, and WCU converted 16 Bloomsburg turnovers into 23 points.
- Hyland's 27 points tied a season high for the guard and marked the fourth 20-plus point performance for Avondale native this year.
- Junior Malik Jackson's (LANSDOWNE, PA./PENN WOOD) 16 points brought the guard's double-digit scoring streak to five straight games, and he also tied a season high with four assists in 38 minutes.
- Despite struggling to score the ball, Rokins pulled down 14 boards for the second-consecutive game, while Longino added 17 points off the bench. Freshman Nick Alikakos (WEST CHESTER, PA./THE HILL SCHOOL) scored a season-high 11 points in the victory, to help the Golden Rams to a 31-10 advantage in bench scoring on the night.
- Saturday's victory brings West Chester even with Bloomsburg in the all-time series (68-68) and the win snaps a two-game losing streak for the Golden Rams against the Huskies dating back to the 2016-17 season.
BLOOMSBURG FACTS
- The visiting Huskies shot 25-of-67 (37%) from the floor and 83% (10-of-12) from the charity stripe, while struggling to a 16% (3-of-18) clip from beyond the arc.
- Ky Mauras paced the Bloomsburg attack with 18 points on the night and added a team-high four assists. Travis Elmore put up 17 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort, while Austin Harriot pulled down a team-high 11 boards in 31 minutes played.
UP NEXT
- The Golden Rams take a step out outside of conference play on Wednesday, January 16, as the squad travels to the Joseph West Jones Center to square off against Goldey-Beacom at 7:00 p.m.
