WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Looking to bounce back from a hard-fought loss at Lock Haven to open PSAC East play, the West Chester University men's basketball team (9-5, 6-2) bounced back nicely with an impressive 82-72 victory over Shepherd (5-8, 2-6) in Hollinger Field House on Wednesday night.
West Chester trailed only briefly on Wednesday, finding itself behind for just 39 seconds in the early stages of regulation, but a late-game run by Shepherd kept things close down to the final whistle as the Golden Rams improved to 6-2 in league play with a 10-point victory over the Rams.
Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) led West Chester in scoring with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting while also corralling a team-best eight rebounds as the entire starting five finished in double figures.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) became the latest Golden Ram to join the 1,000-point club with a 14-point effort, 12 of which came in the first half, while
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) added 13 of his own.
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) and
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished with 12 points each, while Purnell added a career-high 10 assists for his first career double-double.
With just 30 seconds to play in the first half, Allen became the latest Golden Ram to join the 1,000-point club, scoring on a turnaround jumper from just outside the paint, which extended the Golden Ram lead to 41-30 lead late in the opening half.
This milestone moment came late in a first half that had started with the Golden Rams honoring
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) for scoring his 1,000
th career point in the victory over No. 9 California (Pa.) on January 3. With that milestone, Smith became the first since Matt Penecale in 2019 and remains the most recent Golden Ram to score all of his 1,000 points wearing a West Chester uniform, as Allen scored 116 points during his rookie season at Wagner.
West Chester led by as many as 20 midway through the second half, holding a 61-41 lead with 11:55 to play, but as in previous years, Shepherd would not go away, answering with a 23-11 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes, led by six points each from Daniel McClain Corley and Phillip Jordan to cut the deficit to 70-64 with 5:31 to play.
West Chester stretched its lead back to 10, but Shepherd had an answer again, cutting the WCU lead to 74-70 after a 7-0 run in under a minute, threatening to even things up with the Golden Rams in the final two minutes of regulation. Smith drilled a clutch three with just over a minute to play, which gave West Chester some much-needed breathing room and extended the lead back to seven while also sparking a 7-0 run by the Golden Rams, which included a beautiful baseline driving layup by Allen off an assist from Purnell Jr. to give the Golden Rams an 80-71 lead with 25 seconds to play en route to the victory.
West Chester led throughout much of the first half, holding a 44-30 lead at the halftime break and shooting 53.1 % (17-of-32) from the field, including a 6-for-9 (66.7 %) from beyond the arc before shooting an even 50.0 % (13-of-26) from the field, including a 2-for-6 (33.3 %) from deep in the second half. For the game, West Chester shot 51.7 % (30-of-58) from the field, including an 8-of-15 (53.3 %) effort from beyond the arc. The Golden Rams also shot 56.0 % (14-of-25) from the line, which helped the team hold on for the victory.
For its part, Shepherd shot 40.3 % (27-of-67) from the field in the victory, including a 44.1 % (15-of-34) shooting performance in the second half. The visiting Rams also shot 20.6 % (7-of-34) from three-point range and connected on 11-of-17 (64.7 %) from the line.
Despite the setback, Shepherd ended the game with a slim 41-36 lead in rebounding, including a 14-7 lead on the offensive glass, while West Chester ended the game with a 10-8 lead in second-chance points.
West Chester also ended the game with a 10-9 lead in the turnover battle, resulting in a 13-12 lead in points off turnovers.
Moro Osumanu (Reading, Pa./Reading) ended his night with eight points off the bench, which led the Golden Rams' second unit in scoring in the 10-point triumph.
For Shepherd, Jordan led the way in scoring with 19 points, while McClain Corley added 18 of his own along with a game-high nine rebounds, an effort which was matched by teammate Marcus Banks, who finished the night with 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday against East Stroudsburg beginning at 3 p.m. on what will also be Alumni Day for the Golden Rams.
