West Chester Pulls Off Comeback Victory In Overtime, 83-80

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Down nine to Mercyhurst University with 5:25 remaining in the second half, No. 25-ranked West Chester University men's basketball came back, and junior Colin Daly (Havertown, Pa. / Archbishop Carroll) forced overtime with two good free throws. The Golden Rams ultimately won 83-80 to stay undefeated at 9-0 overall and 3-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play.
 
WCU freshman Robbie Heath (Whittlesea, Australia / Abington) had game highs with 28 points and 20 rebounds. It was the first 20-20 game for a West Chester men's basketball player since Lenwood Greenwood did it in a 77-59 win at Felician University on Feb. 4, 2008.
 
West Chester controlled the early part of the game, taking a 12-0 lead in the first 4:13. The Lakers (4-2, 2-1) responded quickly, going on a 20-7 run over the next 6:06.
 
Mercyhurst went up 33-30 with 3:26 left in the first half, and the Lakers maintained that lead until Daly made his free throws with 45 seconds to go in regulation.
 
Daly drained a three-pointer and extended WCU's lead to 79-75 with 1:09 remaining in the overtime period. He finished with 11 points and four rebounds, making West Chester's only two threes in the victory.
 
Golden Rams senior Tim Toro (Scranton, Pa. / Abington Heights) posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 boards. It was the second double-double of Toro's college career.
 
Senior Malik Jackson (Lansdowne, Pa. / Penn Wood) added 18 points for West Chester on Saturday.
 
West Chester is hoping for a 10-0 start with a home game against California University of Pennsylvania on December 20 at 7:30 p.m. The Golden Rams also welcome Slippery Rock University on December 21 at 7:30 p.m.