WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Led by a game-high 23 points from junior
Malik Jackson (LANSDOWNE, PA./PENN WOOD), the West Chester University men's basketball team topped Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) divisional foe Shippensburg 87-77 on Saturday to give the Golden Rams sole possession of first place in the PSAC East.
Saturday's victory pushes WCU's current winning streak to nine games and keeps the Golden Rams perfect inside the Hollinger Field House (8-0) this season. Ahead of its game against Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, West Chester continues as the only PSAC East institution to remain unbeaten in divisional play during the 2018-19 campaign.
THE BASICS
Score: West Chester 87 | Shippensburg 77
Records: West Chester 15-5 (10-2 PSAC) | Shippensburg 15-5 (9-3 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House - West Chester, Pa.
SHORT STORY
The Golden Rams held the lead for a majority of the opening stanza, but West Chester was unable to pat the advantage to any more than seven points throughout the first 20 minutes. The visiting Raiders were able to slowly chip away at the deficit and eventually took control of the lead (29-28) following a layup by freshman Dion Harris II with just under two minutes remaining in the frame. An unassisted jumper by West Chester sophomore
Evan-Eric Longino (FURLONG, PA./GERMANTOWN ACADEMY) put the home team ahead 30-29, and following a few failed offensive plays by Shippensburg, the buzzer sounded with the Golden Rams in front by one.
The Raiders kicked off the second half with a 10-2 run to grab the 39-34 advantage with 17 minutes to go, but Shippensburg would hold that lead for less than three minutes after a fastbreak layup by Jackson at the 14:50 mark put the home team in front for the final time. The Golden Rams slowly began to build their cushion – stretching it out to as many as 14 at points – and the home team managed to keep the visitors no closer than eight for the duration of the contest. After a seemingly endless barrage of free throws by both teams, the evening came to an end with a layup by Shippensburg freshman Carlos Carter to bring the final score to 87-77 in favor of the Golden Rams.
WEST CHESTER RUNDOWN
- WCU converted 27 of its 61 attempts from the field (44%) and set a new season high with 28 made free throws on the night. The Golden Rams' shooting percentage on Saturday marked the sixth game in a row that West Chester connected on at least 44% of its shots overall, and the squads 43 total boards signaled the seventh time in the last eight outings that the Golden Rams hauled in at least 40 rebounds.
- M. Jackson's 23 points on Saturday led all scorers, while senior Jackson Hyland (AVONDALE, PA./KENNETT) put up 19 points and six rebounds before fouling out of the contest.
- Off the bench, Longino's 18 points were the most for the guard in his last six outings and the total pushed Longino's double-digit scoring streak to 10 games.
- Freshman forward Nick Alikakos (WEST CHESTER, PA./THE HILL SCHOOL) tied a season high with eight boards against Shippensburg, and senior Matt Penecale (JENKINTOWN, PA./ABINGTON) dished out five helpers on Saturday to bring the guard just 10 assists away from tying Ricky Hicks (1987-91) for the most career assists (455) in West Chester men's basketball history.
SHIPPENSBURG FACTS
- The Raiders connected on 32% (21-of-66) of their shots from the floor and just 6-of-26 of their attempts from beyond the arc in the loss. Shippensburg's 21 made free throws on Saturday were tied for a season low, while the squad's 32 fouls on Saturday eclipsed SU's previous season high (20 vs. IUP) by 12 overall.
- Led by a team-high 18 by redshirt freshman Dom Sleva, Shippensburg's bench outscored West Chester 32-28 on Saturday, and the visitors ended the game with a +10 margin (21-11) in second-chance points. Sleva also grabbed a game-high 12 boards on the night to give the guard his second double-double of the season.
- Junior John Castello's 16 points paced all SU starters in the loss, while senior Antonio Kellem chipped in 11 points and added a game-high six helpers for the Raiders.
UP NEXT
West Chester will take a step outside of the division on Wednesday (Jan. 30), when the squad welcomes PSAC West representative Pitt-Johnstown to the Hollinger Field House for a game at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday's outing against the Mountain Cats will be the final non-PSAC East game for the Golden Rams in the regular season, as WCU closes out 2019 with four home games and three road contests against programs out of the Eastern Division.
FRANK'S DAY
Prior to this evening's game, senior forward
Frank Rokins (PLAINFIELD, N.J./ST. MARY'S) was presented a commemorative basketball in recognition of the forward scoring his 1,000th career point earlier this season.
