WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After winning its ninth home opener in a row a week ago over Virginia State, the West Chester men's basketball team (3-0) has shifted its attention to Wilmington (1-3) who enters play in the midst of an early season skid, following its third loss in a row vs Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester holds a 13-1 lead in the all-time series vs Wilmington and is currently riding a two-game winning streak vs the Wildcats after capturing a 75-58 win over the Wildcats on this exact date a season ago.
When the two teams met at Wilmington last year, the first half was close throughout with West Chester holding a slim lead for much of the half before opening the second half on a 15-5 run to break the game open and eventually roll to a 75-58 victory.
Robert Smith and
Kyle McGee led the team in scoring in this contest, finishing with 14 points each as two of four Golden Rams in double figures. West Chester struggled to find its shooting stroke from beyond the arc in this contest, shooting just over 29 % from deep but made up for it with a 42.1 % overall field goal percentage in the victory.
Fan Information
Fan's are reminded of the updated ticket prices for the 2022-23 season with single-game century club tickets being $20 with single-game adult tickets being $10 and children/senior tickets being $5 with WCU students being admitted free of charge with current, valid ID.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester enters play riding a three-game winning streak after rolling past Virginia State a week ago behind a career-best 25-point effort from
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) along with a 21-point performance from
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt), which included a 13-point performance in the second half to help WCU hold on for the victory. West Chester led by as many as 11 in this contest and never trailed by more than a basket, despite a second-half surge by the visiting Trojans. West Chester closed out the game on a 10-0 run, erasing a late deficit and pulling away for a 85-78 victory.
The tandem of Smith and McGee have proved difficult for opposing teams to manage this year, averaging 22.3 and 19.0 points per game, respectively. Smith has scored 20 points or more in every game so far this season, including a season-high 24-point effort vs Elizabeth City State on opening weekend, while McGee who helped West Chester earn its first overtime victory since December 2019 on opening night vs Lincoln has also scored in double figures in every game, with last Wednesday night being his first 20-point outing of the year. In addition to his prolific scoring to open the year, McGee has also been the primary facilitator for the Golden Ram offense, leading the way averaging 3.7 assists per game while also ranking in a tie for second on the team in steals averaging 1.3 steals per contest.
As a team, West Chester has essentially picked up where it left off a season ago from an offensive standpoint, averaging 87.0 points per game, which is third best in the league so far this year, trailing only the potent Seton Hill and East Stroudsburg units who are both averaging north of 90.0 points per contest to open the season. West Chester has shot 47.8 % from the field to open the year while also shooting a solid 41.9 % from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Golden Rams have won the rebounding battle in each of their first three games of the year, currently holding a +6.3 (39.3-33.0) lead in rebounding, which has led to a 35-25 lead in second-chance points over the first three games of the season.
SCOUTING WILMINGTON
For its part, Wilmington enters play following its third loss in a row, this time falling to Lock Haven by a final of 82-74 on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats didn't shoot poorly in this contest, shooting 44.6 % from the field and 35.0 % from beyond the arc, but 17 turnovers and a -12 loss in the rebounding battle proved difficult to overcome in the setback. Randy Rickards, who has been one of the Wildcats leading scorer throughout the season, turned in a 17-point performance while also posting a team-high four steals in the setback.
Through the first four games of the year, Rickards has been one of the most dangerous Wildcats for opponents to manage, ranking second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game while also leading the squad in rebounding (6.5/g), and steals (2.0/g) while also ranking third on the team in assists (2.8/g). Sophomore guard Jordan Jackson has also been an important piece for the Wildcats this season, ranking first on the team in scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game, with a season-high 18 points vs No. 10 Bentley earlier this season.
Wilmington enters play averaging just over 74 points per game on the year, which is due in large part to its disparity in field goal percentage vs three-point shooting percentage. While the team has shot a solid 48.5 % from the field on the year they are shooting a poor 35.1 % from three-point territory, while also losing the rebounding battle by an average of 5.5 rebounds per game.
Up Next:
Following this game, West Chester will have a brief break for the Thanksgiving Holiday before returning to the court next Monday for the middle game of its six-game homestand vs Georgian Court beginning at 6 p.m.
