WILMINGTON, Del. – Fueled by four double-digit scorers and a +27 margin on the glass, the West Chester University men's basketball team defeated Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) representative Goldey-Beacom 82-63 inside the Joseph West Jones Center on Wednesday evening.
This evening's victory brings West Chester's all-time record against the Lightning to 8-1 and extends WCU's current winning streak to six games ahead of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) showdown against Lock Haven at home on Friday night.
THE BASICS
Score: West Chester 82, Goldey-Beacom 63
Records: West Chester 12-5 | Goldey-Beacom 8-8
Location: Joseph West Jones Center – Wilmington, Del.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- West Chester raced out to a 6-0 advantage to start the contest, before the home team battled back to knot the contest at 12-12 with just over 14 minutes to play in the opener.
- The next eight minutes saw both teams hold slim leads, and with the Golden Rams clinging to a one-point advantage (35-34), a triple by senior Jackson Hyland (AVONDALE, PA./KENNETT) would spark a 9-2 run to push WCU ahead 46-36 with 52 seconds left on the clock.
- Following a layup by senior Miko Jenkins (HARRISBURG, PA./STEEL), the first half ended with a three-pointer by GBC's Mahir Johnson to bring the score to 48-41 in favor of the Golden Rams
- The Lightning got on the board first in the second half, but a massive 19-5 West Chester run put the visitors out in front comfortably, 66-48, with a shade under 15 minutes to play.
- WCU kept its foot down for the remainder of the second stanza, as the team held a double-digit lead for the duration of the frame. Making his return from injury, a jumper from junior Tim Toro (SCRANTON, PA./ABINGTON HEIGHTS) would give the visitors their largest lead of the game (78-54) with 6:43 on the clock. With West Chester leading by 21, Goldey-Beacom's Mahir Johnson ended the game by converting on back-to-back free throws to bring the final score to 82-63 on Wednesday night.
WEST CHESTER RUNDOWN
- The Golden Rams converted on 29-of-60 (48%) of their shots from the field and their nine made three-pointers marked the most for the squad in its last five games.
- West Chester held GBC to just 63 points on the night, marking the third time in the last four games that WCU has kept its opponent to 63 points in a loss.
- Hyland led all scorers with 19 points on the night to go along with a season-high five assists in 26 minutes played.
- Junior Malik Jackson (LANSDOWNE, PA./PENN WOOD) added 15 points in the victory, while senior Frank Rokins (PLAINFIELD, N.J./ST. MARY'S) chipped in 13 points and six boards on Wednesday night.
- Off the bench, sophomore Evan-Eric Longino (FURLONG, PA./GERMANTOWN ACADEMY) contributed 14 points to stretch the guards double-digit scoring streak to seven games.
LIGHTNING FACTS
- Goldey-Beacom shot 40% (24-of-59) from the floor and 9-of-28 (32%) from beyond the arc in the loss.
- GBC notched a season-low eight attempts from the charity stripe on Wednesday and its 21 total rebounds against the Golden Rams were the fewest for the squad this year.
- Reigning CACC Athlete of the Week Corey Taite paced the Lightning with 14 points, while Mahir Johnson chipped in 13 points off the bench in the losing effort.
UP NEXT
- The Golden Rams return to conference play this Friday, January 18, as the team welcomes Lock Haven to town for a game at 7:30 p.m. Friday's game was originally scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start on Saturday, but inclement weather in the forecast forced the contest to be moved up to Friday evening.
