WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester men's basketball team (6-2, 1-2 PSAC) returns to action this weekend for a pair of PSAC West crossover games at California (Pa.) (6-2, 1-1 PSAC) and Slippery Rock (7-2, 3-0 PSAC) on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with each game set to begin at 3 p.m.
Following a convincing victory over Seton Hill on Tuesday night, West Chester returns to action against a pair of familiar opponents in Cal and Slippery Rock. Between the two teams, the Golden Rams are playing this weekend, West Chester has won 24 of 44 meetings, including 14-of-21 games against Slippery Rock. Against the Rock, the all-time series between the two rivals can be traced back to the 1930 season, and the Golden Rams have been on the winning end of things as of late, winning the last meeting by a 100-82 final score during the 2019-20 season. West Chester is just 10-13 against California (Pa.); however, the Golden Rams have won four straight and 7-of-10 games against their rivals, dating back to the 2007-08 season after winning just three of the first 13 meetings between the two squads from 1987 until 2006.
Following a pair of losses to open PSAC play earlier in December, West Chester bounced back in a big way with a 95-82 victory over Seton Hill on Tuesday night. Freshman guard
Cam Polak (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) poured in a game and career-high 23 points, and the Golden Rams never trailed en route to the victory. Polak was one of six Golden Rams in double figures in this victory as
Robert Smith(Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) (17),
Josh Samec(Tresckow, Pa./Hazleton Area) (13),
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) (12),
Dame Wall (Philadelphia, Pa./Constitution) (11), and
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) (10) all ended in double figures. As a team, West Chester shot 50.0 % from both the field and three-point range, in a substantial improvement from its efforts against IUP back on 12/4. The Golden Rams also ended the game with a 44-38 edge in rebounding and a 40-25 advantage in bench points in the victory.
Munhall, Pa. native
Cam Polak, had a career night on Tuesday at Seton Hill, scoring a season-high (and team conference-play high) 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a 4-for-7 effort from beyond the arc. This 23-point effort is also tied for second for the best single-game scoring effort by a Golden Ram this season, trailing only fellow newcomer
Robert Smith, who scored an impressive 17 points in the victory on Tuesday. Entering play, Polak's previous career-high was nine points in the win over Wilmington toward the end of the month of November.
Matt Dade (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy) leads the team in double-doubles this season with three, after registering three in a row vs Wilmington, Chestnut Hill, and Holy Family.
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) has also registered a pair of double-doubles while
Jamil Manigo (Philadelphia, Bishop McDevitt) has one double-double to his name to start his collegiate career with the first full month of the season officially complete. Chestnut Hill transfer
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) registered his first double-double as a Golden Ram on Tuesday night as well, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Seton Hill. Junior
Josh Samec is the active career leader in double-doubles after registering five during his 2019-20 sophomore campaign, while McGee is close behind with three on his career after registering one as a freshman.
Smith remains the Golden Rams leading scorer for the year, averaging 14.8 points per game while also leading the squad in steals per game, averaging 1.6 per contest. For his part, Dade leads the squad in rebounding, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game, while McGee is second on the team in scoring (13.3 PPG), rebounding (8.0 RPG), and steals (1.5 SPG).
As a team, West Chester enters play averaging 84.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the PSAC while shooting 43.7 % from the field and 32.6 % from three-point range with a +7.6 rebounding margin through the first eight games of the season. In league play, West Chester is shooting slightly below its season average from the field and from range, shooting 42.4 % from the field and 30.1 % from deep, averaging 41.7 rebounds per contest through the first three conference games of the year. Defensively, West Chester has held opponents to an average of 77.0 points per game so far this season; however, the Golden Rams have surrendered an average of 87.7 points per contest through their first three league games of the year.
SCOUTING CAL
Cal enters this game with a 2-1 mark in home games following an 83-38 dismantling of NAIA Opponent Carlow. The Vulcans never trailed, and Zyan Collins logged a career-high 13 rebounds along with 22 points en route to a double-double to help lead the Vulcans to a victory in their first home game in nearly a month. Phillip Alston, who leads the Vulcans in points per game (21.5 PPG) and rebounding (9.8 RPG), had a strong night, logging 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting while also registering seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. Brent Pegram, who is second on the team in scoring, averaging 19.4 points per game, while also leading in assists and steals per game, averaging 4.1 and 1.9, respectively, also had a solid afternoon, scoring 13 points along with four assists, to move himself into the top-20 on the school's all-time scoring list on Wednesday with 1,255 points.
As a team, Cal enters play, averaging 88.5 points per game while holding opponents to an average of 78.6 points per contest. The Vulcans have shot impressively well from the field, shooting 49.2 % overall and 35.5 % from beyond the arc, while also entering play this weekend with a +3.3 advantage in rebounding margin.
SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
For its part, Slippery Rock enters riding a four-game winning streak, including back-to-back home wins, with its most recent triumph coming in comeback fashion over Wheeling. Trailing by as many as 11 points in the second half, Slippery Rock looked to the duo of Jonathan McFall and Tyler Frederick, whom it has relied upon for much of the season, who scored 20 points each while McFall logged six rebounds and two steals while Frederick had nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in the comeback victory. Amante Britt and Frankie Hughes also turned in big games, scoring 11 and 12 points, respectively, with all 23 of their combined points coming in the second half.
Ian Grady, who is in his third season at the helm of Slippery Rock, now sits just seven wins shy of tying head coach
Damien Blair for most wins by an active head coach in their first three seasons. With the victory over Wheeling, Grady tied IUP Head Coach Joe Lombardi and is two shy of tying Mercyhurst HC Gary Manchel for second in wins with 43.
McFall and Frederick have been the two leading scorers for Slippery Rock, averaging 17.3 and 15.7 points per game, respectively, while Frederick also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 9.0 rebounds contest. Britt, who played a significant role in the comeback victory over Wheeling, has played the facilitator role for the Rock more frequently this season, averaging 5.7 assists per game to this point in the season.
As a team, Slippery Rock, who is 7-2 entering play, has averaged 86.8 points per game while holding its opponents to an average of just 72.7 points per game so far this season. While the Rock has shot well from the field so far this season, entering play shooting 48.1 % from the floor, they have struggled somewhat from three-point range, shooting just 28.8 % from deep, and allowing its opponents to shoot 37.0 % from beyond the arc, so far this season. Slippery Rock has also done a good job of getting extra possessions this season, entering play on the weekend with an average rebounding margin of +8.9 and an average turnover margin of +4.6 to this point in the season.
Before Slippery Rock faces West Chester on Sunday afternoon, the Rock will host another PSAC East rival in Kutztown on Saturday afternoon, with that game set to begin at 3 p.m.
UP NEXT
Sunday's game at Slippery Rock will be the Golden Rams final game of the 2021 portion of its schedule as the team will not return to action again until January 5
th on the road at Kutztown, with that game set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
