WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Senior
Jackson Hyland (AVONDALE, PA./KENNETT) and junior
Malik Jackson (LANSDOWNE, PA./PENN WOOD) both notched 16 points to help the West Chester University men's basketball team defeat Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opponent Lock Haven 75-66 inside the Hollinger Field House on Friday night.
Friday's victory pushes the Golden Rams' current winning streak to seven games and keeps West Chester perfect (7-0) at home during the 2018-19 campaign. Boasting the longest winning streak in the Eastern Division, the Golden Rams (8-2 PSAC) head into Wednesday's meeting at East Stroudsburg tied with Shippensburg for the top spot in the East.
THE BASICS
Score: West Chester 75, Lock Haven 66
Records: West Chester 13-5 (8-2 PSAC) | Lock Haven 6-8 (5-6 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House – West Chester, Pa.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams exchanged blows early in the first half until the scoreboard read 8-8 with just over 15 minutes remaining. With the score knotted, a layup by Hyland would spark a huge 16-2 run for the home team to put the Golden Rams in front 24-10 with 10:44 to play.
- The visitors were able to weather the early storm and eventually hacked the WCU cushion to just two, 29-27, following a triple by Christian Kelly with just a shade under four minutes left on the clock. The Golden Rams managed to extend their advantage to as many as six points down the stretch – following a pull-up jumper by sophomore Colin Daly (HAVERTOWN, PA./ARCHBISHOP CARROLL) – before a layup by Lock Haven's Matt Cerruti would close out the opening half with the home team in front, 35-31.
- Fueled by some brilliant plays by Christian Kelly, Lock Haven stormed back to square the game at 37-37 in the opening moments of the second stanza. A triple by sophomore Evan-Eric Longino (FURLONG, PA./GERMANTOWN ACADEMY) allowed the home team to retake the lead at 40-37 and West Chester never looked back. The Bald Eagles were able to get the deficit down to one (42-41) midway through the frame, but the Golden Rams were able to answer every run by their opponents and eventually pushed their lead to as many as 17 points (62-45) down the stretch.
- LHU knocked the West Chester cushion into single digits, but the home team was able to maintain a lead of at least seven points from the for the final 10 minutes of the frame en route to the 75-66 victory at home.
WEST CHESTER RUNDOWN
- The Golden Rams shot 44% (29-of-66) from the field and connected on 9-of-23 (39%) of their attempts from beyond the arc in Friday's victory.
- West Chester held a sizable 48-30 advantage on the boards and ended the game with a +14 margin in bench scoring.
- Hyland and Jackson both notched 16 points to pace the WCU offense on Friday, while senior Matt Penecale (JENKINTOWN, PA./ABINGTON) chipped in 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
- Senior Frank Rokins (PLAINFIELD, N.J./ST. MARY'S) pulled down 14 rebounds for the third time in the last four games on Friday, and Longino's ten points against the Bald Eagles extended the guard double-digit scoring streak to eight games.
LOCK HAVEN FACTS
- The Bald Eagles connected on 41% (25-of-61) of their shots from the field and 6-of-24 (25%) of their attempts from beyond the arc.
- Matt Cerruti tied a season high with 25 points to lead all scorers on Friday night, while also setting a new season high with five steals in the losing effort.
- Entering the game as LHU's leading scorer (18.1 points/game), Kelly Christian poured in 23 points for the Bald Eagles, and Jihad Barnes handed out a game-high seven assists to go along with nine points in 32 minutes.
UP NEXT
- The Golden Rams have a huge divisional game on Wednesday, January 23, when the squad travels to the Koehler Fieldhouse to square off against East Stroudsburg at 8:00 p.m.
