No. 22 West Chester Falls In Close Battle With East Stroudsburg, 91-85

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - No. 22-ranked West Chester University men's basketball battled back and forth with East Stroudsburg University at Hollinger Field House on Wednesday night but ultimately lost the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division matchup, 91-85.
 
WCU freshman Robbie Heath (Whittlesea, Australia / Abington) poured in a game-high 33 points, going 9-of-18 from the field and 12-of-12 from the free throw line. Heath has eclipsed 30 points in four games this season, and his PSAC-leading scoring average is now up to 23.5. Heath has made 10-plus free throws in six games this season, and he's shooting 81 percent from the line.
 
After a record-setting 13-0 start to the season, the Golden Rams are now 14-4 overall and 8-5 in PSAC play. West Chester is still alone in second place in the Eastern Division. The Warriors (6-6, 10-7) are tied for fourth.
 
The Golden Rams never trailed in the first half and led by nine points with 2:32 left in it when freshman Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J. / St. Mary's of the Assumption) made a layup. However, ESU went on a 10-1 run, and the two teams went into the locker rooms tied at 39.
 
The Warriors jumped out to a 56-46 lead with 15:15 left in regulation and maintained that lead until West Chester freshman Matt Dade (Collegeville, Pa. / Episcopal Academy) tied things at 77 with a free throw with 2:41 to go.
 
Dade had a breakout game, scoring 12 important points while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds and playing a season-high 25 minutes.
 
Up by one with 30 seconds remaining, ESU sophomore Marc Rodriguez made a three-pointer that essentially sealed the deal.

West Chester seniors Malik Jackson (Lansdowne, Pa. / Penn Wood) and Tim Toro (Scranton, Pa. / Abington) finished the game with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
 
No. 22 West Chester will look to get back on track with a game at Bloomsburg University set for Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
The Golden Rams and Warriors joined forces on Wednesday night throughout the duration of both the men's and women's basketball games to honor East Stroudsburg men's basketball student-athlete Ryan Smith, currently battling leukemia. West Chester athletics collected donations throughout the games and presented a check for Ryan and his family worth $2,000 from the athletic department as well as four local sponsors.