WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) hit a clutch three with 2:45 to play, which helped West Chester (8-4, 3-3) retake a late 65-63 lead and closed the game out at the free throw line to hold off an upset-minded Mansfield (2-8, 1-5) squad by a 70-68 final.
West Chester led by as many as 14 early in the second half, but Mansfield steadily mounted a comeback, eventually coming all the way back to take a late lead and nearly force overtime, but a runner in the lane in the closing seconds was off the mark, and
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) secured the rebound to lift West Chester to the two-point league victory.
McGee led all scorers with 20 points as one of three Golden Rams in double figures with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with four rebounds and four assists, while Allen finished with 16 and
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) logged his second consecutive double-double and fourth of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
Michael Dickson and Idris Ali tied for the team lead in scoring for Mansfield, registering 14 points each, while Manir Walker added 13 of his own in the setback.
West Chester ended the game shooting 41.8 % (23-of-55) from the field, and 28.6 % (6-of-21) from deep, none bigger than the late three made by Allen, which proved to be the Golden Rams final made field goal of the game. West Chester also shot 72.0 % (18-of-25) from the line, including a 5-of-6 effort from the line in the final 1:44 of regulation to hold on for the victory. For its part, Mansfield shot 40.0 % (24-of-60) from the field and 25.0 % (5-of-20) from three while also going 15-of-20 at the stripe, although the Mounties were just 1-of-2 at the line in the final two minutes of regulation.
The two sides opened the game by trading scores, as it was a one-point game at the first media timeout, with West Chester holding a slim 9-8 edge. Mansfield countered quickly with a 7-0 run, which saw the Mountaineers take a 15-9 lead with 14:11 to play in the first half before eventually holding a 17-12 lead at the second media timeout of the first half.
West Chester countered with a quick 7-0 run of its own, which helped erase the early seven-point deficit and take a 10-point lead into the halftime break.
McGee led all scorers in the first half, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, while Barrett and Smith each registered eight points Barrett came away with 11 rebounds to lead all players in rebounding in the opening half.
West Chester shot 48.5 (16-of-33) from the field in the first half and 36.4 % (4-of-11) from three-point range while also going 5-of-7 (71.4 %) from the line while holding its guests to 35.3 % (12-of-34) from the field and 3-of-14 (21.4 %) from three. Mansfield was also just 4-of-8 from the line in the first half.
West Chester also ended the first half with a 26-17 lead in rebounding, thanks in large part to the game-high 11 rebounds by Barrett through the first 20 minutes of basketball, which also helped West Chester hold an 8-6 lead in second-chance points.
The second half began similarly to the first half, with neither side getting on a major scoring run, but West Chester managed to slightly extend its lead, making the score 48-37 with just under 16 minutes to play. The two teams remained evenly matched as the half wore on, but West Chester maintained its 10-point advantage (56-46) with just under 12 minutes to play in regulation.
As the game ticked under 10 minutes to play, Mansfield continued to mount its ill-fated comeback, trimming the deficit to just five (60-55) with under eight minutes to play in regulation. Mansfield eventually retook the lead with a perfect 2-for-2 trip to the line, making the score 63-62 with 4:33 to play, which is how the score stood at the final media timeout of the second half with 3:38 to play in regulation.
West Chester inched back out in front by two after a transition three by
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) following a steal in the lane by
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) with 2:45 to play but a successful trip to the line by Mansfield tied the game back up at 65-65, which remained the score with under two minutes to play in regulation. From this point, the game became a battle at the free throw line as the two teams combined for just made field goal, a layup by Mansfield late in the contest, but it was a 5-of-6 effort at the line by the Golden Rams, which allowed head coach
Damien Blair's charges to close out the game with a 70-68 victory.
West Chester ended the game with a 41-36 lead in the rebounding battle, which led to a 13-11 advantage in second-chance points. West Chester and Mansfield ended the game even at 32-32 in points in the paint, although West Chester did manage to end the contest with a 12-11 lead in points off turnovers (-4 in the turnover battle) and a 23-16 lead in fast break points, including the late three by Allen.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon at Kutztown beginning at 3 p.m.
