LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Following a victory over Clarion to conclude crossover play, the West Chester men's basketball team (10-5, 5-4) can shift its attention back to PSAC East play for the remainder of the season, beginning with a matchup against Lock Haven (11-3, 7-2) on Wednesday night.
Series Information
West Chester holds a 32-9 lead in the all-time series over Lock Haven, having won each of the last four meetings, including an 87-83 win at Lock Haven in February of last year. West Chester has won eight of the last 10, with the only two losses during that span coming at Lock Haven during the 2018-19 and 2016-17 seasons.
When West Chester visited Lock Haven a year ago,
Elijah Allen and
Kyle McGee each turned in career-best performances, finishing with 24 points each to lead West Chester to an 87-83 victory over the Bald Eagles. The first half was close throughout before West Chester stretched its lead to 11 in the second half. Lock Haven answered back quickly and had a chance to tie or win the game in the final seconds, but a late rebound and successful trip to the line by Allen led West Chester to the 87-83 victory.
Flock Talk
West Chester led throughout the first half and led by as many as 13 early in the half before Clarion rallied back to eventually erase the Golden Ram lead and claim a slim two-point advantage at the 12-minute mark of the second half. West Chester did not trail for long, trailing for only a minute before answering back and eventually putting the game out of reach at the charity stripe with a 6-for-7 effort in the final minute of regulation.
Eli Barrett, who earned PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts, set a new career-high with 27 points and his fourth double-double in five games to lead West Chester past Clarion on Saturday afternoon. Barrett's 27 points also set a new single-game high for the Golden Rams this year, surpassing
Kyle McGee's 25 points against Virginia State for the previous single-game high. West Chester had four players in double figures, including two double-doubles, as
Joshua Walker registered a double-double of his own with 14 and 12, while McGee and
Jamil Manigo each finished with 11.
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg), who earned PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors this week following his career day at Clarion, has been on an impressive hot streak since returning from the Holiday break. Barrett has scored in double figures in five games in a row, including each of the first four games of the new year, which has helped West Chester go 4-1 since returning from the Holiday Break. In this same stretch, Barrett has also recorded a double-double in four of those five games, including back-to-back games, giving him six on the year, which ranks him in a tie for 21
st in Division II in double-doubles.
With its win over Clarion on Saturday afternoon, head coach
Damien Blair reached the 250-win plateau, becoming just the second coach in program history to reach this milestone, with the lone other coach being Dick Delaney, who remains the career wins leader with 370 career victories.
The duo of
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) remain the Golden Rams leading scorers, averaging 14.8 points per game, while McGee also leads the team in assists (3.7/g) and steals (1.7/g). As a team, West Chester is shooting 42.8 % from the field and 32.3 % from three-point range while also outrebounding opponents by a 41.7-36.3 average, thanks in large part to an 8.5 rebound per game average from Barrett. West Chester ranks atop the PSAC in rebounding with its 41.7 rebounds per game average while also averaging 14.1 offensive rebounds per game. The Golden Rams 14.1 offensive rebounds per game also lead the PSAC and rank 11
th in Division II in offensive rebounding and 11
th in rebounding.
Scouting Lock Haven
Lock Haven enters play following a win over Kutztown, which allowed the Bald Eagles to avoid a losing streak as well after falling to Mansfield last Wednesday night. Lock Haven raced out to a 13-point lead at the half and used this early lead to hold on for an 87-77 victory at Kutztown on Saturday afternoon. James Price led the way in scoring, pouring in 23 points, while Dymir Montague led the team in rebounding with eight in the victory. As a team, Lock Haven shot 46.4 % from the field and 33.3 % from deep while also shooting 72.0 % from the line, all of which were in line with the season averages of 46.3 %/36.6 %/69.9 %. Lock Haven also ended the game with a 44-35 lead in rebounding, which is almost 10 rebounds higher than what the team has pulled in throughout the season.
Price's big day on Saturday was a pleasant surprise for the Bald Eagles as Javy Davis had been the leader of the flock throughout much of the season, averaging 15.2 points per game, while Price generally makes his impacts on the glass, leading the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
Up Next:
West Chester will continue its road trip with a visit to East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m.
