WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After knocking off a nationally-ranked opponent in East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon, the West Chester men's basketball team (12-5, 7-4) returns home to host Shepherd (10-7, 7-4) on Monday night beginning at 7:30 with both teams entering play riding three-game winning streaks.
Series Information
West Chester holds a 6-3 lead in the all-time series, including a pair of wins the last year, both at home and the last, coming in the PSAC Tournament. Since Shepherd joined the PSAC East, West Chester has played to a record of 3-2 against its southern-most league rivals.
The game remained tight early in the first half. When West Chester hosted Shepherd twice a season ago, with the most recent meeting coming in the PSAC Tournament First Round on February 28th, Shepherd did not go down quietly, leading by as many as six early in the first half before a 7-2 run by West Chester gave the Golden Rams a 42-41 lead heading into the halftime break. Still, West Chester never allowed Shepherd to retake the lead, always maintaining a slim advantage over its southern rivals, eventually stretching the lead to as many as 11 in the late stages of regulation.
Elijah Allen led all scorers with 27 points in the victory, while
Robert Smith and
Kyle McGee, who hit a dagger three late in regulation to give West Chester an eight-point (80-72) lead, finished with 17 and 16, respectively, in the victory.
Flock Talk
Traveling to face #14/20 ESU on Saturday afternoon, West Chester accomplished a feat it had not done since the 2017-18 season when it bested #21 Wheeling in the NCAA Tournament, beating a ranked team away from the confines of Hollinger. West Chester trailed only briefly, finding itself behind for just the first two minutes of regulation before erasing the slim deficit and taking a lead it would never relinquish. Leading by six at the half following a late basket by the Warriors, West Chester used a 7-0 run early in the second half to get much-needed separation before eventually stretching its lead to as many as 15 with 12:18 to play in regulation. This commanding lead proved important for West Chester down the stretch as ESU attempted to mount a late comeback in front of a capacity crowd, but West Chester scored over 40 points in the second half for the first time in PSAC East play and the second time since 12/30, to hold on for an 86-81 victory.
Joshua Walker had a career day, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while
Robert Smith and
Kyle McGee each poured in 14 points as three of six Golden Rams in double figures.
Eli Barrett continued his double-digit scoring streak with 10 points after a late trip to the line, while Anthony Purnell Jr finished with 13, and
Jamil Manigo added 11 in the win. As a team, West Chester shot 51.7 % from the field and 36.4 % (4-of-11) from three-point range.
Since the calendar turned to 2023, reigning PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Eli Barrett has been on a mission, scoring in double figures in every game of the New Year and seven in a row dating back to the December 30
th victory over Seton Hill. Barrett was far from the only impactful Golden Ram a week ago, however, as
Joshua Walker turned in a career day on Saturday, while
Robert Smith averaged 16.5 points per game over the two victories, including a team-high 19 at Lock Haven on Wednesday night. This offensive versatility from the Golden Rams has shown to be and will likely continue to be a major key to the team's success as the stretch run of the regular season draws near, with the final full week of January now upon us.
As a team, West Chester enters play averaging 77.0 points per game and holding opponents to 73.5 points per game, due in large to equal 43.5 % field goal percentages by the Golden Rams and their opponents. Rebounding continues to be a factor, as it was a year ago for the Purple and Gold with the team, averaging a league-best 41.4 rebounds per game. West Chester is first in the PSAC in rebounding (41.4/g) and first in offensive rebounding (13.8/g). West Chester also ranks 14th in all of Division II in offensive rebounding, which has translated into an average of 14.9 second-chance points per game, outscoring its opponents in this category in 14 of 17 games. Rebounding and success have gone hand in hand for West Chester this year, as the team is 11-2 when outrebounding its opponent while going 1-3 in games where it is outrebounded.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd enters play riding a three-game winning streak of its own after making coming back to beat Mansfield on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Rams trailed by six at the half but never waivered as they outscored Mansfield 42-31 in the second half to pull a 69-64 come-from-behind victory. Shepherd shot 42.9 % from the field on Saturday with 10 made field goals behind a 21-point performance by Carson Poffenberger. Jon Preston, who leads the team in rebounding on the year, averaging 6.6 per game, contributed in his usual way with seven in the victory, while Phillip Jordan, who is first on the team in assists, averaging 3.1 per game, led the way with four assists in the victory.
For the year, junior guard Daniel McClain-Corley has been the leading scorer for the Rams, averaging 16.6 points per game while also pulling in an average of 4.9 rebounds per game and dishing out 2.0 assists per game, both of which rank second on the team. Preston is a similarly versatile weapon for the Rams, averaging 11.9 points per game, which is second on the team, while leading the way in rebounding, and ranking third in assists, averaging 1.9 per contest. As a unit, Shepherd shoots 43.2 % from the field and 36.5 % from deep while also shooting a solid 75.6 % from the line through 17 games. These solid numbers help the Rams withstand a slim +0.1 edge in the rebounding battle (31.8-31.7) and a -1.5 deficit in turnover margin thus far in 2022-23.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday night at Millersville beginning at 7:30 p.m.
