West Chester vs Wilmington
Game Details: November 16 I 4 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch
Series: 13-3 (Streak L2)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Wilmington Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester was back in action on Saturday afternoon against Wheeling, looking to rebound from a 114-91 loss at the hands of No. 17 West Liberty to open the season on Friday evening. West Chester led early, but its lead lasted only the first four minutes. Wheeling closed out the first half with a 49-23 halftime lead. Despite outscoring the Cardinals by six (45-39) in the second half, West Chester fell by an 88-68 final as the Cardinals shot a stellar 50.9 % from the field, 29.2 % from three-point range, and 79.4 % from the free throw line. Davante Dennis led West Chester in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a 3-for-3 effort from three-point range, while fellow Division I transfer James Johns Jr. finished with 10 points in the setback.
Flock Talk
Averaging 79.5 points per game, West Chester has shot 34.4 % from the field and 25.5 % from three-point territory through its first two games of the season while also shooting 71.2 % at the line. Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) and Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion) are tied for first on the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game, while Dennis leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. Dennis also leads the squad in steals, averaging 2.0 per game after the opening weekend. While its scoring average of nearly 80 points per game is not far off from where it has been in recent years, the Golden Rams have allowed an average of 101.0 points per game as opponents have shot 53.4 % against the WCU defense. While this average is slightly inflated after West Liberty scored 114 points in the season opener, the 53.4 % field goal percentage and 21.0 turnovers per game may still be some cause for concern for the Golden Rams as non-league play continues this weekend.
No Time for Panic
West Chester started its season with a pair of losses for the first time since the 2018-19 season when the Golden Rams also started their campaign at West Liberty. While back-to-back 20-point losses to open the season are never calming, the last time WCU went 0-2 in its opening weekend, the Golden Rams returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and finished the year 22-9 after falling to IUP in the Round of 64.
Home Sweet Hollinger
West Chester was 10-4 at home last year, including a PSAC Tournament opening victory over Shepherd (76-66), which got the Golden Rams back to the Quarterfinals for the 12th year in a row. West Chester won each of its last four games in Hollinger last year, with its last home loss coming in a 78-77 setback against Lock Haven in early February. Since 2019-20, West Chester is 46-14 in Hollinger (inclusive of regular and postseason play).
Taken a step further, West Chester has won nine of its last ten home openers, with the lone loss during that stretch being a 74-68 setback against Fairmont State on November 15, 2023.
The Second Unit
Through an admittedly small sample size, West Chester is first in the PSAC and 20th in DII in points off the bench, averaging 37.0 points per game.
Crash the Glass
WCU is third in Division II in rebounding, averaging 51.0 rebounds per game, thanks in part to a DII-Best 28.0 offensive rebounds per game. West Chester is also sixth in DII in rebounding margin and leads the PSAC in all three categories.
Honoring the Legends
Fans will notice a new court design for the 2024-25 season as West Chester completed a refinishing of the Hollinger Field House floor over the Summer to make it now bear the name of legendary basketball coaches Dick DeLaney and Deirdre Kane. Kane-DeLaney Court, as the floor shall henceforth be known, was formally unveiled to the Community in mid-September at a special ceremony after the project was announced during a doubleheader against East Stroudsburg last January.
New Faces
West Chester welcomed a host of talented newcomers as Larenzo Jerkins, Anthony McCall, Davante Dennis, Dylan Blair, James Johns Jr., and Gavin Dalen joined the Golden Rams for the 2024-25 season. Jerkins and Dalen are the lone two true freshmen on the Golden Rams roster, while McCall, Dennis, Blair, and Johns Jr. are all Division I transfers, joining WCU from Rider, Incarnate Word, Army, and Fairfield, respectively.
Series History
West Chester holds a 13-3 lead in the all-time series vs Wilmington, although the Wildcats have won each of the last two meetings and three of the previous six, including an 85-79 victory over the Golden Rams in Wilmington a year ago. West Chester had four players in double figures, led by 17 points from Delaware native Elijah Allen, but a late cold snap and a 9-for-11 free throw shooting down the stretch by Wilmington lifted the Wildcats to the six-point victory.
Scouting Wilmington
Wilmington enters play on Saturday evening after falling to PSAC East member Shippensburg at home on Wednesday night by a 90-74 final. The Wildcats kept the game close through the early going, trailing by just two at the half, but a second-half surge, which saw the Raiders outscore their hosts 59-45, was enough to guide the visitors to the 16-point victory. Justin Perez drilled five threes to lead Wilmington in scoring, finishing with 21 points to help guide the Wildcats, who shot 39.7 % from the field and 32.0 % from three-point range in the setback. Wilmington committed 16 turnovers in its loss and also lost the rebounding battle 43-37.
Averaging 84.0 points per game offensively and defensively, Wilmington appears to be a reasonably even unit. The Wildcats shoot 48.1 % from the field and connect on 44.4 % from beyond the arc, while opponents shoot 49.5 % despite shooting 29.2 % from three-point range. Entering play on Saturday, Perez is first on the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game. Manir Waller, who transferred to Wilmington from Mansfield, is first in rebounding, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. Waller is also third in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game, while Denim Perkins is first in assists, averaging 4.7 per game.
