WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Riding a five-game home winning streak and having won its last three home contests by a combined 84 points, the West Chester men's basketball team (14-9, 8-9) will look to keep riding its home momentum on Wednesday evening vs rival Kutztown (7-17, 4-14) in a game with major PSAC Tournament implications. Opening tip in this contest is set for 7:30 p.m. inside Hollinger field house, as it will be the second game of a doubleheader, which will see the West Chester women's basketball team do battle against East leading Kutztown first beginning at 5:30 p.m.
FAN INFORMATION
As a reminder, all spectators, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when attending any indoor athletic contests inside Hollinger Field house, the Sturzebecker Health Science Center, or the Graham Natatorium. Masking by all spectators in attendance creates the safest possible atmosphere for the student-athletes, coaches, staff, team representatives, officials, and all other spectators.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester and Kutztown have a lengthy history with one another, dating back to at least the 1947 season based off of records available. Since that time, West Chester has had the upper hand in the series going 76-41 vs the Golden Bears, however, recent meetings have shown a much more balanced rivalry as the two sides have split the last four meetings, ending a four-game winning streak that the Golden Rams enjoyed during the 2017-18 and 18-19 seasons.
In the most recent matchup against Kutztown, West Chester led for much of the contest, leading by as many as 16 points and had five players score in double figures led by a 21-point effort from
Matt Dade but a late cold-spell and corresponding run by Kutztown allowed the Golden Bears to overtake the Golden Rams and win by a 94-92 final on a last-second layup by
Evan-Eric Longino. West Chester shot very well in the first half, ending the stanza with a 52.5 % field-goal percentage and a 46.15 % three-point shooting percentage while also shooting 77.8 % from the line. Unfortunately, the 77.8 % free-throw percentage would be the only performance that West Chester was able to duplicate in the second half, as the Golden Rams shot just 35.9 % from the field and 28.57 % from beyond the arc as Kutztown stormed back to claim the victory. This loss sparked a difficult stretch for the Golden Rams, which would see them go just 2-3 over the next five games with all three losses coming by less than five points including back-to-back single basket losses.
FLOCK TALK
Searching for its fifth home victory in a row, the West Chester men's basketball team returned to the court on Monday evening vs Shippensburg. The Golden Rams fell behind early, trailing 22-8 with just over 10 minutes to play before closing out the first half on a 28-5 run, which included holding Shippensburg without a field goal for over 10 minutes to carry a 36-27 lead into the halftime break. After halftime, Shippensburg came out firing, erasing the halftime deficit and eventually retaking a 68-66 lead in the waning moments of regulation. Trailing late in the game, West Chester scored five of the games final seven points, thanks in large part to a made three by
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) to earn a narrow 71-70 victory over the Raiders.
Matt Dade (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy), who has been a consistent force for West Chester throughout the season was impactful once again, registering his seventh double-double of the year with 16 points and 12 rebounds. West Chester ended the game shooting 48.4 % from the field and 35.7 % from three-point territory, thanks in large part to a 51.7 % field-goal shooting and a 50.0 % three-point shooting effort in the second half.
Dade has been one of the most consistent Golden Rams this season, scoring in double figures in 19 of 23 games, including four games with 20 or more points. Dade has also come away with 10 rebounds in eight of 23 games this year, registering seven double doubles on the season to lead the Golden Rams in this category. The sophomore guard/forward combo has led the team in scoring in five games this season including three of the last eight contests with a season-high 27 coming earlier in the month of January at Bloomsburg.
West Chester has won of the top scoring offenses in the PSAC this year, sitting in a tie for first atop the scoring chart, averaging 83.6 points per game, however, West Chester also finds itself ranked in the bottom half of the league in defense, allowing an average of 77.2 points per contest. In recent games, West Chester's high-powered offense has been on full display, eclipsing the 90-point threshold twice in the last four games, including a 99-point effort against PSU-Brandywine earlier in the month. A key factor in West Chester's impressive scoring this year, has been the Golden Rams efficiency from the charity stripe, shooting 76.0 % from the line on the year, which is second best in the PSAC and first in the East with the next closest Eastern Division team in the rankings being Lock Haven, ranked fifth in the loop, shooting 73.1 % from the line on the season.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
Kutztown jumped out to an early 6-0 lead following a pair of made three's from Wesley Butler and
Evan-Eric Longino before Shepherd responded with an 8-0 run to start what would be a back-and-forth affair throughout the first half. Shepherd managed to outscore Kutztown 18-16 over the balance of the first half, carrying a slim 26-22 lead into the halftime break. Out of the break, Shepherd extended its lead to 14 midway through the second half and held off a late push by the Golden Bears to earn a narrow 68-60 victory over Kutztown. Butler led Kutztown in scoring with a team-high 18 points while Longino chipped in 15 points of his own along with six rebounds in the setback. As a team, Kutztown shot 45.1 % from the field and 31.3 % from beyond the arc while also shooting 75.0 % from the line in the loss at the hands of the Rams.
Kutztown, who enters play averaging 73.4 points per game has been led offensively by Wesley Butler, who enters play averaging 15.2 points per game while also leading the team in assists, averaging 3.8 assists per game.
UP NEXT
West Chester will take to the road for its next two games beginning with a visit to Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon with that contest set to begin at 3 p.m.
