CALIFORNIA, Pa.- The West Chester University men's basketball team (7-4, 4-1) will look to open 2024 with a win on Wednesday afternoon as the Golden Rams take to the road for the final PSAC East/West Crossover game of the year at No. 10 California (Pa.) (11-0, 5-0) beginning at 3 p.m.
Series Information
West Chester enters play with a record of 11-13 all-time against California (Pa.), winning each of the last five games against the Vulcans, including a 92-90 victory in December of the 2021-22 season. Since the 2007-08 season, West Chester has 8-of-11 games against Cal, although the team has played to a mark of 2-3 in games away from home, winning each of the last two such meetings in 2016 and 2021.
When the two sides last met in December of the 2021 season, West Chester traveled to Cal and returned home with a 92-90 victory over the Vulcans behind a 21-point performance by
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) as one of five Golden Rams in double figures. West Chester led 50-41 at the half thanks to seven three-pointers in the first half and used this early advantage to hold off the Cal comeback down the stretch of the second half. West Chester ended the game shooting 44.4 % (32-of-72) from the field, including a 33.3 % (9-for-27) effort from beyond the arc, while also shooting 76.0 % (19-of-25) at the line.
Flock Talk
West Chester has enjoyed a tremendous start to league play, entering play on Wednesday afternoon with a record of 4-1, the team's best start to league action since the 2019-20 season when the team won each of its first seven games in league action. West Chester got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon against Clarion, using an early-first half run to roll to a 90-70 victory over the Golden Eagles in Hollinger.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) and
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) led the Golden Rams, scoring 28 and 22 points, respectively, as West Chester shot a season-best 54.8 % (34-of-62) from the field and an even more impressive 60.9 % (14-of-23) from three-point range in the victory. In a game that featured four lead changes and one tie, West Chester trailed for just 34 seconds in the win, holding a 45-23 lead at the half and using this advantage to roll to the 20-point victory.
Wednesday afternoon's game will feature two of the top offenses in the PSAC going toe-to-toe as the Golden Rams rank fourth in the league (second in the East) in scoring, averaging 77.9 points per game, while Cal ranks second in the league, and the West, averaging 86.5 points per game. West Chester enters play shooting 44.9 % from the field on the year, including a 32.2 % effort from beyond the arc, while also averaging 37.1 rebounds per game, which helps the Golden Rams lead the league in rebounding margin at +5.0 entering 2024.
Individually, Allen continues to lead the league in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game on the year, which ranks fifth in the league. Allen has been one of the best players in the league in recent weeks, scoring in double figures in each of the last nine games and 20 or more in five of those, including four of the previous five. Smith, who like Allen, is also closing in on his 1000th career point, is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game, while
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and
Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) average 12.4 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Kellier and Walker also lead the team in rebounding, averaging 9.3 and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Kellier also ranks second in assists, averaging 2.7 per game, which is second only to Allen's 3.4 per game average. Entering the week, Kellier ranks 22nd in Division II men's basketball in rebounds per game and 20th in defensive rebounding, averaging 6.8 defensive rebounds per game.
Scouting Cal
Wednesday afternoon will pose another difficult test for the Golden Rams as they will face the unbeaten and 10th-ranked Vulcans in the final crossover game of the season. Most recently, Cal traveled to Mansfield and emerged victorious by an 88-76 final over the Mounties, led by 33 points on 10-of-13 shooting from KJ McClurg. McClurg was one of four players in double figures on Saturday afternoon for Cal as Bryson Lucas joined him with 18, Jermaine Hall Jr. with 12, and Antoine Arnett with 10 in the 12-point victory. The visitors held a 46-41 lead at the halftime break and extended this advantage in the second half, outscoring their hosts 42-35, including a pair of 10-point runs early in the second half. Boasting the best field goal percentage in the league (52.6 %) entering play on Wednesday, Cal shot an impressive 50.9 % (29-of-57) from the field in the victory, including a 38.1 % (8-of-21) effort from three-point range, which moved the season average to 37.7 % ranking the Vulcans second in the league in this category as well.
McClurg's 33-point effort was his third 30-point performance of the year and increased his season-scoring average to 22.2 points per game, which ranks atop the PSAC. McClurg is one of four players averaging double figures for Cal this season as Zyan Collins ranks second on the team, averaging 15.3 points per game, while Hall Jr. and Lucas average 11.7 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. McClurg, Lucas, and Hall Jr. also occupy the top three spots on the rebounding chart, averaging 5.5, 5.4, and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Collins leads the team in assists, averaging 3.3 helpers per game.
Up Next:
West Chester will visit Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon for its first PSAC East game of the year, beginning at 3 p.m., before returning home to host Shepherd on January 10, beginning at 7:30 in its first home game of 2024.
