WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Despite holding a five-point lead at the halftime break, the West Chester men's basketball team (4-2, 0-1 PSAC) fell to Mercyhurst (3-2, 1-0 PSAC) in its PSAC opener on Friday night by a final score of 81-66.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) led West Chester in scoring with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting as one of three Golden Rams in double figures while
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
West Chester shot well in the first half, shooting 50.0 % from the field but shot just 18.4 % from the field in the second half, ending the game with a 31.3 % (20-of-64) field-goal percentage while also ending the game with a 29.3 % (5-of-19) three-point shooting percentage.
The game remained tight throughout the early part of the second half but a late game cold spell by the Golden Rams, which saw the Lakers outscore West Chester 18-4 down the stretch to lift the visitors to victory over the Golden Rams.
Jeff Planutis led the Lakers in scoring on 6-of-13 shooting as one of four players in double figures while Michael Bradley was second on the team in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Pipeloluwa Ajayi also registered a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds to help key the Lakers to the road victory.
West Chester found itself behind early in the first half, trailing by as many as 11 with 11:01 to play in the opening half before beginning its comeback effort. Thanks in part to an 8-0 run late in the first half, which included a four-point play by
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) as part of his 14-point first half, West Chester not only erased its early deficit but took a five-point lead with 1:56 to play in the opening half. The lead remained at five for the duration of the first half, as West Chester carried a 44-39 lead into the halftime break.
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) tied for the lead in first half scoring with 15 points while Allen was the second of two Golden Rams in double figures with 14 on 3-of-5 shooting, including a 3-for-4 effort from deep.
As a team, West Chester shot an even 50.0 % (13-of-26) from the field in the first half and 45.5 % (5-for-11) from three while also shooting a solid 76.5 % (13-of-17) from the line to help West Chester erase its early deficit and carry a lead into the half.
West Chester continued to hold its lead with just under 15 minutes to play in regulation before a 9-0 run by the Lakers gave Mercyhurst a lead that they would hold as the game ticked under 10 minutes to play. West Chester countered with a 7-0 run of its own to take a 60-59 lead after a successful trip to the line by
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) before an 11-2 run by the Lakers gave them back the lead that they would never relinquish.
Mercyhurst eventually stretched its lead to 15 as the game approached its final moments, due in large part to a late game cold spell by the Golden Rams, which saw the team shoot just 1-of-13 from the field down the stretch.
Mercyhurst outrebounded West Chester 47-37 on the night, however, West Chester did manage to end the game with a 10-6 lead in second-chance points, however, the Lakers did finish with a 34-28 lead in points in the paint along with an 18-10 lead in points off the break.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday night vs Gannon beginning at 7:30 p.m.
