West Chester Loses Close Game At Shepherd, 83-78

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. - West Chester University men's basketball battled Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference contender Shepherd University on Wednesday night in a game that was never separated by double digits, but the Golden Rams ultimately lost 83-78.
 
WCU freshman Robbie Heath (Whittlesea, Australia / Abington) drained a free throw to tie the game at 66 with eight minutes left in regulation, but Shepherd took the lead with 6:47 remaining and held onto it for the rest of the game.
 
The Golden Rams (15-8 overall, 9-8 PSAC) were down three and had the ball with eight seconds remaining, but the Rams (11-12, 7-10) forced a turnover to seal the deal.
 
Heath had a game-high 28 points in 33 minutes on the floor. He leads the PSAC and all Division II freshmen by a wide margin at 22.5 points per game this season. Heath tied his season high with six made threes in the loss.
 
West Chester senior center Tim Toro (Scranton, Pa. / Abington Heights) also had a solid game with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. He didn't have any turnovers in 31 minutes played.
 
The Golden Rams are in third place in the PSAC East Division with five games remaining on their regular season schedule. West Chester remains comfortably in position to clinch a spot in the PSAC Tournament as six teams from each division make it.
 
West Chester plays in Hollinger Field House for the first time in two weeks on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Bloomsburg University.