LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa.- Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) hit a floater in the lane as time expired to lift West Chester (1-0) to a thrilling 83-81 OT victory over Lincoln (0-1) in the season opener on Friday night.
West Chester led by as many as 20 points early on in the second half, holding a 58-38 advantage before Lincoln stormed back, closing the game on a 36-19 run, including a clutch three as time expired to force overtime before West Chester escaped with a three-point win.
West Chester looked as it if had gotten its three-point victory just before the end of regulation when
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) hit one of the biggest three's of his Golden Ram career with 4.9 to play in regulation off an assist from
Anthony Purnell (Chester, Pa./Kiski Area) that nearly gave West Chester the win but Lincoln had other ideas, draining a clutch-wing three as time expired to send the game into overtime.
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) led West Chester in scoring with 22 points as one of five Golden Rams in double figures. McGee finished the game second on the team in scoring, finishing with 15 points, including his game-winner while Purnell Jr. finished with 13 and
Elijah Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) and Allen finished with 12 and 11, respectively. Barrett finished with a double-double, ending the game with 10 rebounds to go along with his 12 points.
West Chester shot 39.4 % (28-of-71) from the field and 39.3 % (11-of-28) from three, including a 50.0 % effort in the extra session while also shooting 64 % (16-of-25) from the line in the victory. For Lincoln, the Lions shot 41.3 % from the field and 27.3 % from beyond the arc while shooting just 63.9 % from the line in the OT setback.
After a scoreless drought to open the contest, West Chester was able to hold a 9-2 lead into the first media timeout before Lincoln came out and cut into the deficit, making the score 9-6 in short order.
West Chester did not let the Lions get too close in the early going, extending the lead further with a 7-2 run to take a 16-8 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Following the second media timeout of the opening half, West Chester stretched its lead to double digits, leading 24-12 before eventually holding a 31-20 lead with just under five minutes to go in the first half of basketball.
In the final five minutes of the first half, West Chester continued to maintain a double-digit lead, eventually carrying a 44-33 lead into the halftime break.
At the half,
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) led all scorers with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting including a 4-for-8 effort from the line. For Lincoln, Korey Williams nearly matched Smith's output, finishing the opening 20 minutes of basketball with 13 points of his own on 4-of-9 shooting and a 5-for-6 effort from the line.
As a team, West Chester shot 41.7 % (15-of-36) from the field and 37.5 % (6-of-16) from three-point range while holding its hosts to a 10-for-31 shooting effort from the field and a 1-for-12 performance from three-point range, with the Lions first make from deep not coming until late in the first half.
In the first six and a half minutes of the second half, West Chester continued to hold on to a double-digit lead, leading 58-43 with 13:37 to play in regulation. Lincoln continued to try and fight its way back in to the contest as the second half progressed but West Chester maintained a double-digit advantage, holding a 62-51 lead with 8:53 to play in regulation.
After holding a double-digit lead for much of regulation, Lincoln brought the lead back to single digits and cut the deficit to 65-59 with just over six-and-a-half to play, prompting a quick WCU timeout.
As the game ticked under five minutes to play, Lincoln continued its comeback bid, trimming the West Chester lead to 65-62 with 4:52 to play in regulation.
After trading stops, Lincoln finally took the lead with a corner-three with just over one minute to play in regulation before West Chester nearly won the game with a deep three from Allen with just seconds remaining. Lincoln countered with a buzzer-beating three of its own, which forced overtime in the relentless back-and-forth affair.
In overtime, West Chester held its hosts to just two points for much of the frame but a late comeback forced McGee to hit a clutch floater at the buzzer to lift West Chester to the win and avoid a second overtime.
After being one of the top rebounding units in all of Division II throughout the 2021-22 season, West Chester won the rebounding battle once again on Friday night, outrebounding its foes 48-41, including a 15-10 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to a 12-8 advantage in second-chance points. West Chester also got a boost from its bench, ending the game with a 24-19 lead in points off the bench.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow afternoon vs Elizabeth City State beginning at 2 p.m.
