PHILADELPHIA- Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) led West Chester (2-3) in scoring with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting to help guide the Golden Rams to a 74-68 victory over Chestnut Hill (0-6).
West Chester led by as many as 21 in the first half and 19 in the second half before Chestnut Hill began mounting its ill-fated comeback, trimming the West Chester lead to as few as five in the final minute of regulation. Still, this late-game comeback was not enough for the Griffins to stun the Golden Rams and earn their first victory of the season.
Allen was one of four Golden Rams in double figures in the victory on Wednesday night, scoring a team-high 20 points, while
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished with 16 to go along with 14 from
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist), and 13 by
Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian). Allen also led the team in rebounding, finishing with 11 in the victory, while Kellier finished with eight rebounds and three assists, ranking second on the team in both categories.
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) led the team in assists with four while also pouring in seven points, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the victory.
West Chester got out a 10-2 lead just four minutes into the contest after
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) announced his return to the lineup with a quick made three. This make was part of a 10-0 run for the Golden Rams, which saw the team extend its advantage to 15-2, with seven of the 10 points coming from Allen as part of his impressive performance Wednesday night.
West Chester continued to extend its advantage in the first half, leading by as many as 21 with 6:59 to play in the first half after another made layup by Allen, increasing his first-half point total to 13. Chestnut Hill tried to cut into the deficit heading into the halftime break, reducing the Golden Ram advantage to 14 (42-28) heading into the halftime break.
The Golden Rams continued to extend their lead in the second half, stretching the advantage to 19 points after Smith made a three-pointer, increasing his point total to 12 points in his first game since the Golden Rams season-opening victory over St. Augustine's.
As the clock ticked under 10 minutes to play in regulation, West Chester maintained a 19-point lead over the Griffins until the game crossed the eight-minute mark. Chestnut Hill went on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes of action, cutting the deficit to 11 (66-55) after an old-fashioned three-point play by Argel Pettit.
Mirko Bramati (Bologna, Italy/St. Thomas More) snapped the West Chester scoreless streak with a jumper. Still, Chestnut Hill continued its comeback, trimming the deficit to nine with five minutes to play in regulation.
Leading by less than 10 points for the first time since its 10-2 lead in the early stages of the first half, West Chester was forced into a pair of late timeouts in an attempt to halt the Griffin momentum. Chestnut Hill cut the Golden Ram lead to eight (66-58) after splitting a trip to the line, but Walker hit a clutch layup to extend the WCU lead back to 10 points (68-58) with under three minutes to play.
Chestnut Hill continued its comeback down the stretch, cutting the West Chester lead to as few as five (70-65) with under a minute to play before a pair of perfect trips to the line by Allen gave the Golden Rams a nine-point lead with 30 seconds to play. Appearing as if they would hold on for a nine-point victory, the Golden Rams committed a late turnover off an inbounds play with just seconds remaining on the clock, and the Griffins hit a transition three, cutting the deficit to 74-68, but this is as close as Chestnut Hill would get, falling by this score on Wednesday night.
West Chester shot a much improved 50.0 % (29-of-58) from the field on Wednesday night, including a 7-for-18 (38.9 %) effort from deep and 90.0 % (9-of-10) at the line to hold off upset-minded Chestnut Hill.
West Chester also ended the game with a 33-25 lead in rebounding, including a 9-6 lead in offensive rebounds, which translated to an 11-7 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 35-24 lead in points in the paint and a 16-5 lead in points off the bench as the Golden Rams snapped their three-game losing streak before heading home for Thanksgiving break.
Chestnut Hill, who was led offensively by Pettit, who scored 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from deep, ended the game shooting 40.8 % (20-of-49) from the field and 33.3 % (6-of-18) from three, while also shooting 88.0 % (22-of-25) from the stripe. The Golden Rams also did well to quiet the Griffins' leading scorer entering play on Wednesday night, holding the normally dangerous Alejandro Cybak to just five points on 2-of-4 shooting in the setback.
Up Next:
West Chester will be able to enjoy its Thanksgiving Dinners a bit more on Thursday following this victory, bringing the team back to 2-3 on the season, ahead of PSAC Crossover play beginning next week. West Chester returns to action next Friday night against Slippery Rock in Hollinger Field House in its first Crossover matchup of the year, beginning at 5 p.m. before hosting Edinboro on Saturday at 3 p.m.
