WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including a 6-of-8 effort from beyond the arc to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (7-4, 4-1) to a 90-70 victory over Clarion (5-6, 3-2).
Allen tied his career-high and was one of three Golden Rams in double figures in the victory as
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished with 22 on 8-of-15 shooting, while
Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) added 11 points to go along with team-highs in rebounding (7) and assists (6) in the 20-point victory.
West Chester trailed only briefly in the victory, finding itself behind for just 34 seconds early in the first half, but it was a 12-0 run by the Golden Rams, which put the game out of reach for the visitors. The Golden Rams led by as many as 25 late in the first half and never saw the deficit fall below double digits for the remainder of the contest, cruising to the home triumph in the final game of the 2023 half of the schedule.
In the first half, West Chester overcame a slow start through the first few minutes of action to take a 26-8 lead over Clarion with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. West Chester continued to flex its offensive muscle as the first half continued, leading by as many as 25 with just under three-and-a-half minutes to play in the first half, eventually carrying a 45-23 lead into the halftime break.
West Chester shot well throughout the first half, shooting a stellar 54.5 % (18-of-33) from the field, including a 61.5 % (8-of-13) effort from three-point range to jump out to the early lead.
Smith led all scorers in the first half, finishing the opening 20 minutes with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-for-6 effort from three-point range, while Allen finished with 10 of his own on 4-of-8 shooting, including a 2-for-4 effort from beyond the arc.
In the second half, West Chester continued its hot shooting performance, shooting 55.2 % (16-of-29) from the field and 60.0 % (6-for-10) from three-point territory while also shooting 87.5 % (7-of-8) from the line down the stretch of the victory.
West Chester set new season-highs in both field goal percentage (548 %; 34-of-62) and three-point shooting percentage (60.9 %; 14-of-23) from deep, while also shooting 72.7 % from the line.
The Golden Rams nearly set a new season-high for points scored while ending the game with a 28-11 lead in points off turnovers, a 36-24 lead in points in the paint, and an 18-8 lead in points off the break. The Golden Rams bench accounted for 19 points in the victory, led by eight points from
Mirko Bramati (Bologna, Italy/St. Thomas More).
Cam Kearney led the way for Clarion, finishing with 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting as one of three Golden Eagles in double figures in the victory. Gavin Cote chipped in 13 points thanks partly to 7-of-8 shooting at the line, while Steve Kelly added 10 points of his own.
The Golden Eagles shot 39.6 % (19-of-48) from the field in the victory, including 22.7 % (5-of-22) from three-point range, while also shooting 73.0 % (27-of-37) from the line. Despite the setback, Clarion accomplished a feat that no team has since Slippery Rock on December 1, ending the game with a 37-28 lead in rebounding, including a 14-8 advantage in offensive rebounding, resulting in an 8-7 lead in second-chance points.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday afternoon at California (Pa.) beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday night's contest will be the first of two games away from home for the Golden Rams as WCU opens PSAC East play at Lock Haven on January 6 before hosting Shepherd on January 10 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the squad's PSAC East home opener.
