EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Senior guard
Matt Penecale (JENKINTOWN, PA./ABINGTON) split two free throws with eight-tenths of a second left on the clock to give the West Chester University men's basketball team the 88-87 victory over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division rival East Stroudsburg on Wednesday night.
Wednesday's road victory extends the Golden Rams' winning streak to eight games overall and keeps West Chester undefeated against divisional opponents (7-0) this year. This evening's win marks the first for WCU over East Stroudsburg at home since the 2013-14 season, snapping a six-game losing streak for the Golden Rams inside the Koehler Fieldhouse. Following a Shippensburg victory over Mansfield earlier in the evening, West Chester remains tied with the Raiders for the top spot in the PSAC East heading into their meeting at the Hollinger Field House on Saturday night.
THE BASICS
Score: West Chester 88, East Stroudburg 87
Records: West Chester 14-5 (9-2 PSAC) | East Stroudsburg 11-6 (8-3 PSAC)
Location: Koehler Fieldhouse – East Stroudsburg, Pa.
SHORT STORY
For much of the evening, Wednesday's game looked like a runaway victory for the visiting Golden Rams, as West Chester raced out to a sizable 21-7 lead with under ten minutes to play in the opening half. The visitors were able to maintain their lead for the duration of what proved to be a highly contested first 20 minutes, as both teams combined for 27 fouls and 21 turnovers after one half of action.
Trailing by 10 (69-59), East Stroudsburg rattled off a 10-0 run to square the game and both team went on to exchange blows over the next few minutes until a free throw by ESU's Ryan Smith with 1:22 to play would give the home team its first lead (83-82) since the 14:38 mark of the first half. Senior
Jackson Hyland (AVONDALE, PA./KENNETT) scored West Chester's next five points of the game to put WCU up 87-85 with 16 ticks left, before the Warrior's Jakwan Jones dropped in a layup to square the contest at 87-87 with only a few second left. West Chester inbounded the ball in a rush to Penecale and the guard would draw a foul on ESU's Jones to go to the line with just 0.08 left on the clock and a chance to ice the game. After missing his first attempt, Penecale dropped in his second shot from the charity stripe to give the visitors the crucial conference win 88-87 on Wednesday night.
WEST CHESTER RUNDOWN
- The Golden Rams shot 47% (28-of-60) from the field and 8-of-23 (35%) from beyond the arc in the win. West Chester tied a season high with 24 made free throws against the Warriors and WCU's 35 team fouls on Wednesday were the most for the squad this year by a sizable margin.
- West Chester's 22 turnovers on Wednesday were tied for the most by the team this season and the Golden Rams' 88 points were their most in the last seven contests.
- Hyland's season-high 30 points led all scorers on Wednesday and his five assists were the most by any player in the victory. Penecale pulled down a team-high six boards to go along with 10 points on Wednesday night, while the sophomore tandem of Evan-Eric Longino (FURLONG, PA./GERMANTOWN ACADEMY) and Colin Daly (HAVERTOWN, PA./ARCHBISHOP CARROLL) combined for 23 points off the bench.
EAST STROUDSBURG FACTS
- Ryan Smith's 22 points paced five ESU individuals in double figures on Wednesday night. Smith also led all players with 12 rebounds in the loss, while Jakwan Jones swiped a game-high five steals to go along with 12 points and four assists in 24 minutes.
- The Warriors connected on 43% (23-of-54) of their shots from the field, but only knocked down five of their 18 (28%) attempts from beyond the arc.
- East Stroudsburg's 26 personal fouls on Wednesday tied a season high, and its 19 turnovers against West Chester marked the most for the squad in its last 10 games.
UP NEXT
The Golden Rams have a huge test ahead of them on Saturday, as West Chester welcomes Shippensburg to town for a game at 4:00 p.m. With both programs sitting at 9-2 in conference play, the winner of Saturday's outing will take sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the PSAC Eastern Division standings.
