SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.- The West Chester men's basketball team (16-7, 11-6) took to the road on Monday night to take on PSAC East leader Shippensburg (14-8, 12-4) inside Heiges Field House. West Chester found itself behind early and was unable to come all the way back, falling to the Raiders by an 84-68 final.
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) had a career night, finishing with a career-high 23, while PSAC East Athlete of the Week,
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) both finished in double figures as well, scoring 10 points each on 5-of-11 and 3-of-15 shooting, respectively.
West Chester trailed by as many as 21 early in the second half before pulling back within 10 with under three minutes to go, but a late-game cold streak led to Shippensburg pulling back away and winning by a final of 84-68.
West Chester struggled from the field on Monday night, shooting just 37.1 % (26-of-70) to go along, with 27.3 % (6-of-22) shooting from beyond the arc and a 10-for-12 (83.3 %) effort at the line. Shippensburg, who had all five starters finish in double figures led by 23 from Carlos Carter, shot a solid 52.9 % (27-of-51) from the field and 43.8 % (7-of-16) from three-point land while also going 23-for-26 at the line in the win. West Chester did well to keep Dom Sleva mostly in check, however, he still found a way to finish with a double-double, ending the game with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Golden Rams.
West Chester got out to an early lead, taking a 4-0 advantage early before holding a 7-4 lead just moments later following a made three by McGee. Shippensburg went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes before West Chester was able to counter with a 10-2 run of its own, pulling to within two (19-17) with 10:26 to play in the first half. This was as close as West Chester would get for the remainder of the first half as the Golden Rams embarked on a tough cold stretch, which allowed the Raiders to pull back ahead by nine (26-17) with 6:35 to play in the first half.
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) halted what had been a poor first-half shooting performance with a three-pointer to bring West Chester back to within six before a steal, and fast break layup by
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) made the score 26-22 with 5:39 to play until the halftime break. Shippensburg pulled away quickly, eventually extending its lead to as many as 14 (42-28) before a late layup by Purnell Jr. allowed West Chester to trail by just nine (42-33) heading into the break.
West Chester struggled from the field in the first half, shooting just 36.8 % (14-of-38) while going 3-of-10 (30.0 %) from three-point range and 2-for-2 at the line. Purnell Jr. was a bright spot offensively for West Chester in the first half finishing with 12 points, while Walker had eight as they kept WCU in contention heading into the halftime break. One area which did help West Chester in the first half was an impressive 10-4 lead in the turnover battle, and a corresponding 13-5 lead in points off turnovers as the Golden Rams remained within striking distance.
Shippensburg opened the half on a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 49-33 with under 16 minutes to play. The Raiders continued to extend their lead, eventually holding a 21-point (55-34) lead with 14:35 to play. West Chester eventually pulled back within 10 with 2:31 to play after a 6-2 run, but it was not enough as Shippensburg pulled away for a final time, eventually winning by an 84-68 final after holding West Chester to just three points over the final 2:31 of regulation.
Shippensburg ended the game with a 38-33 lead in rebounding, including a 29-17 lead on the defensive glass, which allowed the Raiders to hold West Chester to just 11 second-chance points. West Chester did manage to win the turnover battle 15-11, which resulted in an 18-13 lead in points off turnovers and a 12-9 lead in points off the break in the setback.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday night at home against East Stroudsburg beginning at 7:30 p.m.
