Digital Game Program
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following a split on the opening weekend of PSAC crossover play vs Mercyhurst and Gannon, the West Chester men's basketball team (5-2) returns to action on Thursday night vs Holy Family (5-3) in its non-league finale vs the Tigers beginning at 7:30 p.m.
With the setback vs Wilmington just before Thanksgiving, West Chester saw its non-league winning streak halted at an impressive 29 games in a row but the team bounced back quickly with a 86-59 drubbing of Georgian Court and will look to start a new non-league winning streak with a victory over Holy Family on Thursday night .
Series Information
West Chester leads the all-time series vs Holy Family by a 10-2 margin, having won each of the last three games in the all-time series between the two teams. West Chester won the first meeting against the Tigers by a 74-58 final. In the most recent matchup, West Chester defeated Holy Family by a 74-69 final behind 16 points from
Robert Smith (Philadephia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. As a team, West Chester shot 40.9 % from the field and 71.4 % from the line to earn the non-league victory.
Last Time Out
West Chester trailed early, falling behind by as many as eight points before bouncing back and leading by as many as 16 late in the second half en route to a 82-74 win over Gannon to even its league record at 1-1. Smith led the Golden Rams in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field while
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) finished with a double-double, ending the day with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The first half was a back-and-forth affair throughout, featuring five ties and six lead changes but it was West Chester who eventually surged to a 34-30 halftime lead before extending its lead in the second half en route to an eight-point victory.
Changing Times
Thursday night's game is the final game of the season-long, six-game homestand for West Chester and the Golden Rams will be looking for a victory to end it with a winning record. Through the first five games of the homestand, West Chester has played to a mark of 3-2, earning wins over Virginia State, Georgian Court, and Gannon while falling to Wilmington and Mercyhurst in the middle of this stretch. This will also be the last home game for West Chester for three weeks as the Golden Rams will have a 10-day layoff before heading out for what will tie their longest road trip of the season to this point, visiting Pitt-Johnstown and IUP on December 18
th and 19
th before returning home to host Seton Hill on December 30
th.
Offensive Versatility
West Chester has had three of more players in double figures in six of seven games so far this season and has also had four or more players score in double figures in three of those six games, including a season-best five players in double figures in the season opening OT win at Lincoln. West Chester has three different players averaging in double figures so far this season, led by Smith who is averaging 17.3 points per game while
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) and
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) are second and third in scoring, averaging 16.4 and 13.7 points per game respectively. Smith has been the hottest shooting member of the trio as of late, scoring in double figures in three consecutive games (14, 15, 18) while both he and McGee have scored in double figures in six of seven games this season for West Chester.
Crashing the Glass
West Chester is once again first in the PSAC in both rebounding (40.3/g) and offensive rebounding (13.3/g) while ranking 30th and 31st in DII. This effort, powered largely by the efforts of
Eli Barrett (7.1/g) and
Moro Osumanu (Readin, Pa./Reading) (6.9/g) has resulted in West Chester, averaging 12.9 second-chance points per game, outscoring opponents 90-69 through the first seven games.
Tale of the Tigers
Holy Family enters play with a mark of 5-3 on the year, having dropped two straight, both in league play to Georgian Court and Goldey-Beacom. Defense has been a necessary skill for Ryan Haighe and his Tigers this year, holding opponents to an average of just 64.1 points per game in order to stay in games, averaging just 68.1 points per game of its own. Limiting three-point shooting has been a strength for both squads so far this season, as Holy Family has held its opposition to just 28.3 % shooting from deep while West Chester has held opponents to just 32.1 % from beyond the arc. Holy Family does enter play with a slight advantage in both rebounding and turnover margin, holding +1.2 and +0.1 advantages of opponents so far this season. Eric Esposito, has played a leading role in this, averaging 2.5 steals per game, which is best on the team, which averages 8.3 steals per game as a unit.
Esposito is one of a few dangerous weapons that Holy Family can turn to for scoring, averaging 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in addition to his defensive efforts, making him a versatile all-around player for Haighe's Tigers. Junior guard Malik Archer is the leading scorer for Holy Family this year, averaging 15.8 points per game while sophomore forward David Robinson Jr. leads the team in rebounding, pulling down an average of 10.3 rebounds per contest.
Up Next:
Following tonight's non-conference finale, West Chester will have a 10-day layoff before returning to the court on Sunday the 18
th at Pitt-Johnstown in the first of back-to-back games out West with its next game being played on Monday the 19
th at IUP. After this game concludes, West Chester will enter the Holiday Break and will not return to action again until December 30
th at home vs Seton Hill beginning at 5:30 p.m.
