WEST CHESTER, Pa.-The road to the PSAC Men's Basketball Championship game, will run through Hollinger Field House once again in 2023, as West Chester (21-7, 16-6) prepares to host its first home quarterfinal since the 2018-19 season against East Stroudsburg (22-7, 15-7) on Wednesday night beginning at 7:30 p.m. West Chester, who picked up a share of its first PSAC East Regular Season title since the 2006 season with its victory over Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon, will look to advance back to the Semifinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Fan Information
All tickets will be sold on-site at Hollinger Field House, with adult tickets being $10, while student tickets will be $5, with free admission being granted to students from PSAC Member Institutions with current, valid school ID. Additionally, no complimentary tickets will be available for the game on Wednesday night.
Series Information
With ample history between one another, West Chester holds a 92-77 lead in the all-time series against ESU after completing its first sweep of the Warriors since the 2008-09 season earlier this year. In the most recent victory over ESU, West Chester also scored the most points it has ever scored against ESU, tallying 106 points for the second victory of the season series. In playoff action, West Chester trails ESU 3-4 all-time in PSAC Tournament games and 3-5 in all postseason games, currently riding a two-game losing streak in such matchups. It also bears noting that West Chester has never defeated ESU three times in the same season, dating back to the first meeting in 1927.
In the most recent meeting between ESU and WCU, West Chester scored the most points it ever has against the Warriors, scoring 106, which led to the Golden Rams earning a 106-98 victory over its guests and completing its first sweep since the 2008-09 season.
Elijah Allen had a career night in this matchup, finishing with 29 points, while
Robert Smith added 27 of his own to help carry the Golden Rams past the Warriors in what was a turning-point win for the Golden Rams.
Flock Talk
West Chester returns to action tonight following an ugly 92-89 victory over Bloomsburg in the regular season finale. West Chester found itself trailing by 20 with under six minutes to play against the one-win Huskies before mounting one of the best comebacks in recent memory, outscoring Bloomsburg 24-4 to close out regulation and 10-7 in overtime to pick up the victory. PSAC East Athlete of the Week
Elijah Allen finished with 20 and was instrumental in the comeback victory, while fellow sophomore guard
Robert Smith had 22.
Kyle McGee also logged a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the comeback victory.
After a thrilling regular season, which saw the Golden Rams earn six of their 21 victories in the last three seconds of regulation or in overtime, the Golden Rams captured a share of the PSAC East Regular Season Title for the first time since 2006. With 16 league victories (it's most since the 2018-19 season), which came after playing a rigorous East and crossover schedule, including matchups against some of the top teams in the region in IUP, Mercyhurst, and Pitt-Johnstown during crossover play, West Chester finds itself in the midst of one of its best seasons in recent memory. West Chester also remains strongly in contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournament when it begins next week, sitting seventh in the latest Regional Rankings released last week.
Averaging just under 80 points per game on the year, West Chester enters play unbeaten on the year when scoring 80 or more, going 14-0 in such games, while going 7-6 when scoring under 80 points in a game this season. Coach Blair's charges have been hard to stop since returning from the Division II Holiday Break on December 30
th against Seton Hill, playing to a mark of 15-2 over the course of those 17 games.
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) ranks first on the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game, while
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) ranks near the top of the team in most major categories, including scoring (14.9/g-2
nd), rebounding (6.7/g-2
nd), assists (4.1/g-1
st), and steals (1.6/g-1
st). McGee, who became the first player in school history to record a triple-double in the last meeting against ESU, finished with 11 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in the victory for West Chester. McGee, who has played the hero twice this season, is one of two players on the team (joined by Smith) to score in double figures in at least 20 of the team's games this season, scoring in double figures in 23 of 28 games, while also posting six double-doubles, which is second best on the team, trailing only
Eli Barrrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) with seven. For his part, Smith has scored in double figures 24 times this year, one more than the 23 times McGee has achieved and leads the team in 20+ point efforts with seven on the season, including a season-high 27 vs ESU earlier this season.
Scouting East Stroudsburg
East Stroudsburg enters play following a Monday night, first-round victory over Shepherd, which saw the Warriors erase a late deficit to pick up an 81-75 victory over the sixth-seed Rams. East Stroudsburg trailed by eight at the half and found itself behind for much of the game but remained unfazed, eventually picking up a six-point victory, thanks to a 26-point/7-rebound effort from Lakeem McAliley. Teammate Carlos Pepin also had a good night for the Warriors, finishing with 17 points of his own and a team-high two blocks to help the Warriors overcome a 29.6 % shooting effort from beyond the arc. Despite struggling from outside, ESU still shot 43.8 % from the field and a blistering 89.5 % from the line, which, combined with a +10 (18-8) advantage in the turnover battle, helped the Warriors return to the Quarterfinal round of the Conference Tournament.
Pepin and McAlileley rank first and second on the team in most major categories for ESU, as Pepin leads the team in scoring (17.3/g) and rebounding (9.0/g) while ranking second in assists (2.4/g) and steals (1.6/g). Justin Paz, who led the team in assists on Monday night with four and has led the team throughout the season, averaging 3.5 per game, has also shown himself to be a scoring threat, ranking fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game, trailing Jaelen McGlone, who is third, averaging 11.1 per game. For his part, McAliley ranks second in scoring (16.8/g), rebounding (6.0/g), and first in steals (1.9/g).
ESU and West Chester enter the game as two of the top rebounding teams in the league. West Chester leads the PSAC in rebounding, defensive rebounding, and offensive rebounding, while ESU is close behind, ranking third overall and second in the PSAC East, averaging 38.3 per game. The Warriors, who rank first in the league in scoring, averaging 88.5 points per game, are second in the league and first in the East in field-goal percentage, shooting a solid 47.9 % from the floor on the season. ESU also shoots an average of 74.9 % from the line, ranking sixth-best in the league in this category.
Up Next
With a victory, West Chester will return to the PSAC Semifinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season. If combined with a loss by top-seed and fellow PSAC East Regular Season Champion, Shippensburg, West Chester would host the Championship weekend for the first time since 2015-16.
