KUTZTOWN, Pa.- Following an exciting win over Mansfield on Wednesday night to open PSAC East play, the West Chester men's basketball team (8-4, 3-3) is ready for its first PSAC East road game of the year with a visit to Kutztown (4-7, 4-2) on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m.
Series Information
Historically, West Chester has had the better of the play in the all-time series vs Kutztown, entering play on Saturday with a record of 77-41 against the Golden Bears. West Chester and Kutztown split the season series a year ago, with both sides earning a home-court victory, marking the second year in a row in which the series was split. Prior to this, West Chester had swept the 2017-18 and 18-19 seasons from the Golden Bears.
In the second meeting between West Chester and Kutztown a season ago, West Chester avenged a buzzer-beating road loss to the Golden Bears with a 104-77 drubbing inside Hollinger Field House. It was an impressive first-half performance, which made the difference for West Chester in this game, outscoring its guests 61-34 with a 62.2 % field-goal shooting and 56.3 % three-point shooting effort in the opening stanza to help the Golden Rams earn the victory.
Robert Smith led the team in scoring with 18 points as one of five Golden Rams in double figures in the win.
Flock Talk
West Chester opened 2023 at home on Wednesday evening vs Mansfield, and despite leading by as many as 14 early in the second half, the Mountaineers gave West Chester all it could handle before the Golden Rams escaped with a 70-68 victory to open PSAC East play with a win. West Chester and Mansfield traded scores throughout the early, but a late half run allowed West Chester to take a 41-31 lead into the halftime break. Early in the second half, West Chester appeared to extend its lead, eventually stretching the advantage to 14 late in the second half before a steady Mansfield comeback allowed the Mounties to erase the deficit and take a late lead. West Chester made just two field goals in the final 13 minutes of action, a layup by
Joshua Walker with just under 13 minutes to play and a clutch three by
Elijah Allen with 2:50 to play, which gave the Golden Rams a 65-63 lead that would prove crucial in holding on for the victory. West Chester mustered just 29 points in the second half, its lowest second-half scoring output in a victory this season but was clutch at the line when it mattered most, going 5-of-6 from the stripe in the final 1:44 of play to hold on for the win.
Rebounding and success have gone hand in hand for West Chester this year, as the team is 7-2 when outrebounding its opponent while going 1-2 in games where it is outrebounded. West Chester is second in the PSAC in both rebounding (40.8/g) and first in offensive rebounding (14.0/g). West Chester also ranks 11th in all of Division II in offensive rebounding, which has translated into an average of 14.7 second-chance points per game, outscoring its opponents in this category in eight of 11 games.
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg), who is nearing his 1000
th collegiate point (encompassing his time at Northamtpon Community College, Chestnut Hill, and West Chester), has been a key piece of this strong rebounding effort throughout the year, pulling down an average of 8.5 rebounds per game while also leading the team in double-doubles with four on the year. The duo of
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) have shouldered the load offensively, ranking first and second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 and 15.8 points per game while
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) who hit a clutch shot late in the victory over Mansfield, is third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game.
Scouting Kutztown
Kutztown enters play on Saturday with an overall record of 4-7, having dropped its last contest, a crossover game at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday evening, by a 88-77 final score after being outscored 51-42 in the second half of action. Senior Kyree Generett, who leads the team in assists so far this season, averaging 4.6 per game, led the team in scoring and rebounding on Wednesday night, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds in the setback. Kutztown shot 40.3 % from the field in the setback and just 29.4 % from deep, both of which were down from the Golden Bears season averages of 46.1 % from the field and 39.1 % from beyond the arc. Kutztown has consistently shown itself to be a strong free-throw shooting team this season, shooting 76.3 % on the year, which ranks second best in the PSAC, trailing only Shepherd, including an 88.0 % mark on Wednesday night
Fellow seniors Wesley Butler and Robert Tucker rank first and second on the team in scoring for the year, averaging 15.9 and 15.5 points per game, while Tucker also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 9.6 rebounds per game.
Up Next
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday evening at home against Shippensburg beginning at 7:30 in what will be the squad's last home game until January 23
rd vs Shepherd, with a three-game road trip kicking off next weekend.
