WEST CHESTER, Pa.- In a game which featured two of the top scoring offenses in the PSAC, a high-scoring affair was anticipated and that is exactly what a large, and energized Hollinger Field House crowd got on Saturday afternoon as West Chester and East Stroudsburg battled throughout the 40 minutes but it was East Stroudsburg who emerged victorious with a 100-95 victory over the Golden Rams.
West Chester surged out in front early, leading by as many as 13 with just over five minutes played in the first half before East Stroudsburg rallied to send the game to half even at 53-53, outscoring West Chester 44-31 over the final 14:56 of the first half to tie the score at the break.
In the second half, East Stroudsburg pushed itself back out in front, leading by as many as 17 with 8:11 to play in regulation before West Chester began its comeback effort. The Golden Rams fought back late, outscoring ESU 28-19 down the stretch led by eight points each
Elijah Allen and
Kyle McGee, eventually cutting the deficit to just four points in the waning seconds.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) knocked down a three with six seconds to play, which cut the deficit down to just four points but East Stroudsburg was able to put the game away at the line and hold on for the 100-95 victory over West Chester.
Allen matched his career-high in scoring to lead West Chester in scoring with 24 points while
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) continued what has been a strong stretch of basketball for the sophomore guard, finishing with a career-high 21 points and
Jamil Manigo (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished with 13 of his own in the setback.
Matt Dade (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy) tied with
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) for the team lead in rebounding with six rebounds each.
For East Stroudsburg, the Warriors were led by a 29-point effort from Troy Jones as one of four Warriors in double figures. Lakeem McAliley, who had a been a difficult player for opposing teams to contain in recent games, continued his strong run of play, finishing with 19 points in the victory.
As a team, West Chester shot 48.5 % from the field and 54.2 % from deep, shooting above 50.0 % from range in both the first and second half. West Chester also shot 80.0 % (16-of-20) from the line in the setback.
For East Stroudsburg, the Warriors shot nearly 60.0 % from the field in both halves, ending the game with a 57.4 % field goal percentage while also shooting 35.3 % from three and 72.7 % from the line in the victory over the Golden Rams.
East Stroudsburg also ended the game with a 36-34 edge on the glass and a +4 (13-9) edge in the turnover battle to escape Hollinger Field House with a five-point victory.
West Chester will be back in action on Monday evening vs Shepherd inside Hollinger Field House beginning at 7 p.m.
