No. 14 West Chester Improves To 10-0, Hangs On To Beat Cal, 82-81

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - No. 14-ranked West Chester University men's basketball remains undefeated at 10-0 after beating California University of Pennsylvania 82-81 in a nail-biter at Hollinger Field House on Friday night.
 
The Golden Rams (10-0 overall, 4-0 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) led 74-62 with 2:12 left in the second half when junior Josh Samec (Trecksow, Pa. / Hazelton Area) made a layup. However, clutch shooting brought the Vulcans (6-4, 2-2) all the way back, and they trailed by one when sophomore Zyan Collins drained a three-pointer with two seconds remaining.
 
Samec sent the ensuing in-bounds pass deep down court to senior Malik Jackson (Lansdowne, Pa. / Penn Wood), and Collins intercepted it. Collins took a shot from beyond half court that barely missed at the buzzer.
 
Despite the close finish, West Chester did not trail after it took a 26-23 lead with 6:08 left in the first half when junior Colin Daly (Havertown, Pa. / Archbishop Carroll) hit a three.
 
Jackson had a game-high 24 points, raising his season average to 17.6 per game. He also grabbed 12 rebounds to record his first career double-double. The 6-2 guard is up to 1,503 points in his career. He's just the eight player in West Chester men's basketball history to surpass 1,500 points.
 
Freshman Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J. / St. Mary's of the Assumption) also posted the first double-double of his young career with 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. He also had five assists and only turned the ball over once in 31 minutes on the floor.
 
Senior Tim Toro (Scranton, Pa. / Abington Heights) played just 21 minutes before fouling out in the victory, but he chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds.
 
West Chester will shoot for an 11-0 start to the season against Slippery Rock University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Hollinger Field House.