PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Following a victory over Chestnut Hill on Tuesday afternoon prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, the West Chester men's basketball team (4-0) will return to action on Sunday afternoon to face Holy Family (2-3) in a non-league tune-up before beginning PSAC play on Friday, December 3
rd vs Pitt-Johnstown.
Sunday's game vs Holy Family will be the 12
th game in the all-time series between the Golden Rams and Tigers dating back to the 1993 season. West Chester has won each of last two meetings, including a 98-85 victory over the Tigers in 2019, to improve to 9-2 overall against Holy Family.
West Chester enters play on Sunday afternoon after earning a hard-fought victory over another CACC foe in Chestnut Hill (97-80) in its home opener on Tuesday evening. In this contest, West Chester surrendered its largest first-half point total of the season (41 points), and the Griffins remained close throughout much of the second half, but a 24-14 run midway through the second half gave West Chester the separation it needed to earn the 17-point victory.
Matt Dade led four players in double figures with a team-high 23 points and his second double-double of the year, while fellow sophomore
Kyle McGee nearly registered a triple-double with 16 points and career-highs in rebounds (14) and assists (7) in the victory. West Chester stiffened defensively in the second half, holding its guests to a three-point shooting percentage of just 15.4 % in the second half after allowing them to shoot nearly 50 % through the opening 20 minutes to earn the victory.
On the year, the freshman duo of
Jamil Manigo (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) have been leading the Golden Rams in scoring, averaging 14.7 and 14.5 points per game, while Dade, who has registered a double-double in each of his last two games is third on the squad in scoring (14.3) points per game while leading the team in rebounding (10.0/G). Dade also currently ranks third on the squad in assists per game, averaging 3.3 per game, while
Malik Slay (Philadelphia, Pa./Downingtown East) leads the team in this category with 4.5 per game. Fellow sophomore
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) is also enjoying a banner start to his second season wearing the purple and gold, as he ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game while ranking second in rebounding (8.5/G) and leading the team in steals (2.3/G) to open the year. McGee's 2.3 steals per game are also good enough to rank the sophomore seventh in the PSAC (third in the PSAC East) in steals.
As a team, West Chester enters play on Sunday afternoon averaging 88.5 points per game after matching its season-best offensive output (97 points) vs Chestnut Hill on Tuesday evening. West Chester has proven itself to be almost equally as efficient on the defensive end this season, limiting opponents to an average of just 71.0 points per game for an impressive +17.5 scoring average on the year. The Golden Rams bench production and second-chance point-scoring ability have been big keys to their early offensive success this season, outscoring opponents 71-34 in second-chance points while holding an impressive 103-41 lead in bench points through the first four games. West Chester has also shot a solid 36.5 % from three-point range, holding opponents to a scoring average of just 26.1 % from deep. West Chester's three-point defense was on full display on Tuesday evening with the Golden Rams impressive second-half performance, which saw the Purple and Gold limit the Griffins to a 15.4 % three-point shooting performance in the second half of the victory.
Holy Family enters today's game with an overall record of 2-3, having dropped its most recent contest to Lock Haven on Tuesday evening by a 67-64 margin. Holy Family trailed by just three points at the break and remained close throughout the game but could not overcome the halftime deficit to fall back below .500 on the year. Rick'keem Mixson led three Tigers in double figures on the night, ending with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while teammates Daniel Fleming and Nate Conyer scored 14 points each in the setback. As a team, Holy Family shot slightly above its season average from the floor and three-point range (38.2 FG %/38.5 3-PT %) but shot just 57.1 % from the line while also losing the rebounding battle by a 40-34 margin.
On the year, Kharon Randolph has been the Tigers leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game, while Manny Toha ranks second on the team, averaging 12.3 points per game of his own this season. Eric Esposito and Mixson rank in a tie for first in rebounding, averaging 5.4 rebounds per contest, while Esposito also leads the team in blocks (1.2) and steals (2.4) per game.
As a team, Holy Family averages 70.0 points per game while surrendering an average of 71.8 points per game to its opponents this season. Shooting 36.0 % from field-goal range on the year, the Tigers are shooting an average of just 31.5 % from deep on the season. The Tigers have also been outrebounded by a -5.0 margin this season, averaging 40.0 rebounds per contest, while its opponents collect an average of 45.0 rebounds per contest through the first five games of the season.
Following this game, West Chester will return home for its final two home games of the 2021 half of the season, hosting Pitt-Johnstown on December 3
rd at 7:30 p.m. before hosting IUP on December 4
th at 3:00 p.m.
