WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester men's basketball team (7-3, 2-3 PSAC) will return to action for the first time in nearly a month on Saturday afternoon at home against Mansfield, beginning at 3 p.m. Originally, scheduled to be the second game of a doubleheader vs the Mounties with the West Chester women's basketball team playing at 1 p.m., the game will now the lone game of the afternoon as the women's game vs Mansfield was postponed to February 7
th beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Fan Information
Additionally, out of an abundance of caution for our alumni, student-athletes, coaches, and fans Saturday afternoon's Basketball Alumni Day Reception at Barnaby's has been postponed.
In an effort to continue a safe atmosphere for coaches, student-athletes, officials, and game administration, West Chester has temporarily modified its seating options for home basketball games. Under the current arrangement, while spectators will still be welcomed to Hollinger Field House, they will be unable to sit in the bleachers located behind the team benches/scorer's table. Spectators attending games will be able to sit in the bleachers on the side of the gym opposite the team bench area.
As a reminder, all spectators, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when attending any indoor athletic contests inside Hollinger Field house. Masking by all spectators in attendance creates the safest possible atmosphere for the student-athletes, coaches, staff, team representatives, officials, and all other spectators.
Series History
West Chester and Mansfield have extensive history with one another, which can be traced back as far as the 1950s. West Chester holds a 55-33 lead in the all-time series and has gone 21-3 under current head coach
Damien Blair. West Chester won just seven of the first 22 meetings between the two teams to start the history but has fared considerably better since, going 48-18 since. The Golden Rams are currently riding a seven-game winning streak in the series with their longest winning streak being 12 games stretching from the 2011 season through the 2016 season. Also, in the Golden Rams favor for Saturday afternoon's contest, it their home-court advantage that has been in full effect in recent years. Since the 2011-12 season, West Chester has gone 103-32 (76.3 %) in home games and has gone unbeaten in home games against Mansfield during that stretch.
Last Time Out
In its last game before the break, West Chester visited Slippery Rock, riding a two-game winning streak, which had seen the Golden Rams even their record in PSAC play to 2-2 following wins over Seton Hill and Cal (Pa.). In this contest, West Chester and Slippery Rock traded baskets throughout the first half, but West Chester held a slim 42-41 lead heading into the halftime break. West Chester opened the second half on a 12-7 run to take a six-point (54-48) lead, which it would maintain for the better part of the next three minutes of play. As the clock ticked under 10 minutes to play, Slippery Rock completed its climb back and retook the lead. The Golden Rams and Rock traded makes over the next few minutes, and West Chester led briefly twice, but a 6-0 run by Slippery Rock over the final 1:31 of play allowed the hosts to escape with an 86-81 victory over West Chester.
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) led four Golden Rams in double figures with 17 points while
Matt Dade (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy) chipped in 16 with
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and
Dame Wall (Philadelphia, Pa./Constitution) adding 14 and 11, respectively. Jonathan McFall led the way for Slippery Rock, scoring 21 points while Frankie Hughes added 19 as two of the four Rock players in double figures. As a team, West Chester shot 48.3 % from the field and 31.8 % from beyond the arc but lost the turnover battle by a -5 margin, which led to a corresponding -8 margin in points off turnovers in the setback.
Scouting West Chester
While four players in double figures even in a setback is impressive, this is hardly a new occurrence for the Golden Rams as they have had four or more players score in double figures in nine of 10 games this season, including a season-high six players against Seton Hill on December 14
th. McGee has led the team in scoring in five of 10 games this season and currently ranks in a tie for second on the team in points per game with Dade, as they are each averaging 12.9 points per contest. McGee also leads the team in double-digit scoring performances with eight on the year while Dade is close behind with six and team-best four double-doubles; Smith, who is in his rookie season, leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. Smith, who has eclipsed the 20-point plateau twice already this season (the most of any Golden Ram), also holds the best single-game scoring performance on the team, pouring in 28 points vs Lincoln inside Keystone Arena earlier this season.
Bench scoring continues to be a strong point for the Golden Rams this season, as West Chester's bench has outscored its opponent's second unit in nine of 10 games this season and has done so by 10 or more points in eight of those nine games. Over the course of its 10 games in 2021, West Chester holds an impressive 335-161 advantage and has allowed an opponent's bench to eclipse the 20-point barrier against them just three times so far this season.
Scouting Mansfield
Mansfield enters play on Saturday afternoon with a record of just 1-13 overall and 0-8 in league play after falling to Shippensburg on Wednesday night. In this contest, Shippensburg jumped out to an early lead, holding a 43-31 lead at the halftime break but Mansfield would not go away, scoring eight points in the final 17 seconds to pull back within three points before falling by an 85-81 final. Despite the setback, Mansfield shot fairly well from the field, ending the game with a 49.3 % field-goal percentage and a 30.0 % three-point shooting percentage with three players in double figures led by a 28-point effort from Justice Smith, who scored five of the eight points in the Mounties late game comeback effort. Mansfield also ended the game with a +5 edge in the turnover battle thanks in part to a 7-4 advantage in steals at the end of regulation.
As a unit, Mansfield enters play ranked in the middle of the pack in scoring, averaging 78.4 points per game, however, the Mounties defense has struggled this season, surrendering an average of 91.9 points per game for a scoring margin of -13.5. While Mansfield has shot 42.2 % from the field so far this season, its opponents have shot an impressive 50.2 % from the field and 38.3 % from beyond the arc while also outrebounding the Mounties by an average of 8.1 rebounds per game. Justice Smith, who had a big night for the Mounties in their setback vs Shippensburg on Wednesday night, pouring in a team-high 28 points while also leading the team in rebounds and steals, has been one of the most consistent performers throughout the season for Mansfield entering play leading the team in a host of categories. Smith currently leads the team in scoring averaging 17.6 points per game while also leading the team in rebounding (6.4/G), assists (3.3/G), and steals (2.0/G) through the first 14 games of the season. Smith's 17.6 points per game ranks him in a tie for fifth in the PSAC in scoring while also ranking in a tie for fifth in the league in steals per game.
Up Next
Following this game, West Chester will return to action on Monday afternoon at Kutztown beginning at 3 p.m. in a rescheduled game from earlier this season before returning home on Wednesday evening to host Millersville, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader.
