WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Senior guard
Jackson Hyland's (AVONDALE, PA./KENNETT) 21 points led five Golden Rams in double figures, and the Golden Rams held their opponents to just 19 first half points, as the West Chester University men's basketball team defeated Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) divisional rival Millersville 82-64 at home on Wednesday night.
The Golden Rams' win on Wednesday kept a litany of records alive for West Chester this season, as WCU's defeat of Millersville moves the Golden Rams' current winning streak to 12 games while pushing West Chester's record at home to 10-0 during the 2018-19 campaign. Wednesday's victory also keeps the Golden Rams undefeated against Millersville in their last 10 meetings and the W extends West Chester's streak of victories over the Marauders inside the Hollinger Field House to seven games. This season's 12-game winning streak ties last year's streak for the second longest in West Chester history – trailing the all-time record set back in 2002-03 by just a single victory.
THE BASICS
Score: West Chester 82 | Millersville 64
Records: West Chester 18-5 (13-2 PSAC) | Millersville 13-9 (9-6 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House - West Chester, Pa.
SHORT STORY
It was slow going for each team to start Wednesday's game, as it took nearly 12 minutes for both squads to enter double-digits. Up 18-13, the Golden Rams rattled off an impressive 21-6 run to close out the opening half with a sizable 39-19 advantage. The Marauders' 19 points in the first half was the second lowest by any Golden Ram opponent this season, with Edinboro and California's 17-point outputs back in December taking the top spot.
The Marauders seemed to put all the pieces together in the second half, and the squad was able to hit some big shots to hack the WCU advantage to 10 points on multiple occasions. Despite the Millersville charge, West Chester was able to slowly build its lead back to 20+ and the home team held that cushion for a majority of the last few minutes of the outing en route to the 82-64 victory inside the Hollinger Field House.
WEST CHESTER RUNDOWN
- WCU shot 29-of-65 (45%) from the floor and connected on six of its 21 attempts (29%) from deep in the victory.
- The Golden Rams outrebounded Millersville 46-37 on Wednesday and held a sizable +18 margin in points off turnovers. West Chester's 33 defensive boards against MU were the most for the squad in its last 10 games and the teams 82 total points on Wednesday marked the 10th time in the last 12 games that the Golden Rams have scored at least 80 in a contest.
- Hyland's 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting led all scorers on Wednesday night, while fellow senior Frank Rokins (PLAINFIELD, N.J./ST. MARY'S) matched a season high with 17 points, and added 13 rebounds in the process, to give the forward his team-leading sixth double-double of the season.
- Junior big man Tim Toro's (SCRANTON, PA./ABINGTON HEIGHTS) 14 points versus the Marauders were the second most for the center this season and senior guard Matt Penecale (JENKINTOWN, PA./ABINGTON) chipped in 12 points and a team-high five assists to close out the scoring for the starting five.
- Off the bench, sophomore Evan-Eric Longino (FURLONG, PA./GERMANTOWN ACADEMY) totaled 13 points for the fourth time in the last five games, and the sophomore has now scored in double figures in each of his last 13 appearances.
MILLERSVILLE FACTS
- Bogged down by a 20% shooting clip in the first half, Millersville finished the game connecting on 23-of-62 attempts from the floor and 30% (8-of-27) of its shots from beyond the arc.
- Justin Nwosu paced four Marauders in double figures with 14 points in the loss, while defending PSAC East Freshman of the Week Jaden Faulker added a game-high nine assists to go along with nine rebounds and four points in 34 minutes played
UP NEXT
West Chester returns to the Hollinger Field House on Saturday, February 9, to square off against divisional opponent Kutztown University at 3:00 p.m.
