Spectator Policy
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- After snapping a frustrating two-game losing streak, which saw the Golden Rams lose a pair of games by a combined three points, the West Chester men's basketball team will look to start a winning streak on Monday evening at East Stroudsburg, with opening tip in that contest set for 7:30 p.m.
West Chester and East Stroudsburg have no shortage of history between one another (although certainly not as lengthy as the 100-plus year history between the Golden Rams and Millersville Marauders), having met 165 times dating back to the 1927 season. Over the course of these 165 meetings, West Chester has historically had the upper hand, defeating the Warriors 90 times while dropping just 75 of those meetings in the series. Recent history between the two squads has shown much more balance, as East Stroudsburg has emerged victorious in seven of the last 10 meetings, including each of the last four and five of the last six.
In 2019-20, West Chester and East Stroudsburg met three times, with the final meeting coming in the PSAC Tournament Quarterfinals, and the Warriors emerged victorious in all three meetings. In the PSAC Quarterfinal matchup, East Stroudsburg opened up a 13-point lead in the first half, which it would carry into the break and use to withstand a West Chester comeback attempt, which saw the Golden Rams outscore their hosts in the second half in an 88-74 setback. In this contest, four different Warriors finished in double figures led by a 16-point effort from Marc Rodriguez, while West Chester's Robbie Heath led a trio of Golden Rams in double figures with 20 points in the setback. Among the Golden Rams returners,
Matt Dade (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy) led the squad in scoring, pouring in nine points along with five rebounds to conclude his rookie season.
On Saturday afternoon at Bloomsburg, West Chester continued to show its enjoyment of Saturday afternoon basketball games, earning its fourth win in five tries on a Saturday, holding off Bloomsburg to earn a 98-91 victory. West Chester led by as many as 16 near the midway point of the first half, but Bloomsburg came out of the locker room strong, erased a halftime deficit, and eventually took the lead back in what would become a tight, back-and-forth affair down the stretch. West Chester closed the game out well, outscoring Bloomsburg 15-9 down the stretch to earn the victory. Dade led all scorers with his fifth double-double of the year, pouring in career-high 27 points to go along with career-best 17 rebounds as one four Golden Rams in double figures in the win. In addition to Dade's 27 &17 performance, newcomers
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) and
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) turned in masterful performances, with Allen setting a new career-high of his own for the second time in a week with a 23-point effort while Smith ended with 24 including a perfect 6-for-6 performance from beyond the arc.
Throughout the season and perhaps even more so throughout the month of January, West Chester has shown its balance as the Golden Rams have had four or more players score in double figures in all but one game so far this season and started the month with five or more players in double figures in each of the first three games. In addition to West Chester continuing its balanced attack, the Golden Rams have also continued their habit of playing close games as Saturday's game was the eighth game of the year and sixth in a row that was decided by 10 points or less. Before Saturday, West Chester had its last three games, all decided by a single basket, with its last four decided by five points or less entering play at Bloomsburg.
Despite what has been a rocky road as of late for the Purple and Gold, the team remains one of the top offensive rebounding teams in Division II men's basketball, averaging 17.31 offensive rebounds per game, which leads the nation to this point in the season.
For East Stroudsburg, Saturday afternoon brought with it the third win in a row for the home-standing Warriors as they dispatched Gannon by a final of 66-61. In this contest, East Stroudsburg held a 31-22 lead at the halftime break, but Gannon would not go away, outscoring its hosts 39-35 in the second half to cut into the deficit, but ESU held on thanks in large part to a 22-of-31 effort from the line in the victory. Carlos Pepin, who will may make a case for PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors, after ending his week averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds per game, registered his third double-double over the last four games, coming away with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals to lead the Warriors. Pepin was one of just two Warriors in double figures in the victory as he was joined by Lakeem McAliley, who finished with 10 while the hero of the PSAC Quarterfinals from 2020, Rodriguez, chipped in nine points of his own in the victory.
For the year, East Stroudsburg, who is averaging 83.0 points per game as a team, has consistently turned to Pepin to be a leader as he leads the squad in scoring (15.6/G), rebounding (8.1/G), and steals (2.1/G). McAliley has also provided excellent depth for the Warriors this year, averaging 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, both of which rank second on the team for the 9-5 Warriors.
Following this game, West Chester will return home on Wednesday evening for its final home game of January against Lock Haven on Wednesday evening before visiting Mansfield on Saturday for the first of a two-game road trip, which will send the team down to Shepherd on Monday the 31
st to conclude the month of January.
