WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Playing in its first home quarterfinal since the 2018-19 season, the West Chester men's basketball team (21-8) returned to action on Wednesday night against rival East Stroudsburg (23-7). The game was close throughout, but it was a 10-0 run late in the first half by ESU, which gave the Warriors some much-needed separation heading into the halftime break before the Warriors pulled away for an 85-72 victory over the Golden Rams.
The game was tight throughout, featuring four ties and eight lead changes. Still, East Stroudsburg closed the game out well, eventually leading by as many as 14 with 3:13 to play in regulation before capturing a 13-point road victory over the host Golden Rams.
Reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week,
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) led all scorers with 19 points, while
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and adding 11 rebounds, while
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) added 14 of his own.
Jaelen McGlone led five Warriors in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Carlos Pepin and Lakeem McAliley, the two leading scorers for ESU on the year, finished with 12 points each on 4-of-8 and 5-of-6 shooting, respectively.
The game was a slow start for both teams, but ESU held a 4-1 lead just over two-and-a-half minutes into it, prompting an early West Chester timeout. West Chester countered with a quick 7-1 run, keyed by a big three-point play from
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt), which sparked the run.
After this run gave West Chester a slim lead, the two teams began trading makes, with neither side being able to get enough separation to take a commanding lead, but it was ESU ahead by two (17-15) with 12 minutes to play in the first half.
The half remained close as it continued, but ESU closed the half on a 10-0 run, which allowed the Warriors to carry a 38-28 lead into the halftime break.
Walker led the team in scoring in the first half, finishing with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, while McGlone led the Warriors with 12 points, including a big three late in the first half, which helped the Warriors take a 10-0 lead into the halftime break.
West Chester opened the second half on a 16-9 run to close to within three (47-44) after a made layup by Barrett with 14:50 to play before ESU got back out to a six-point 50-44 lead. Allen drilled a three with 13:26 to play before a layup by
Michael McClain (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) hit a layup to make it 50-49 with under 13 minutes to play. West Chester and East Stroudsburg traded baskets, but the Golden Rams remained within a point after a made three by Allen, which made the score 53-52 in favor of the Warriors.
East Stroudsburg went on an 8-2 run to take a 61-54 lead before eventually pulling away to an 85-72 victory over the second-seeded Golden Rams, connecting on six of its last seven from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc down the stretch.
West Chester shot 39.4 % (26-of-66) from the field and 19.0 % (4-of-21) from three-point range while also shooting 69.6 % (16-of-23) at the line. East Stroudsburg also shot an even 50.0 % (29-of-58) from the field and 40.0 % (8-of-20) from three-point range while also shooting 70.4 % (19-of-27) from the line.
West Chester ended the game with a 42-35 lead in the rebounding battle and a 17-12 lead in second-chance points while also ending the game with a 25-24 lead in points off turnovers. On Wednesday night, the ESU bench was a difference maker, outscoring West Chester 32-6, led by an 11-point effort by Mike Millsip and nine from David Duda Jr.
Up Next:
West Chester will now await the Selection Show on Sunday, March 5
th at 11 p.m. on NCAA.com to learn if the 2022-23 season will continue in the NCAA Tournament when it begins next week.
