WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) scored a career-high 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-4 effort from three-point range and a 5-for-6 effort at the line to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (2-2) to a 78-70 victory over previously unbeaten Jefferson (4-1) in Hollinger on Wednesday night.
Blair was one of four Golden Rams in double figures in the victory as
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) finished with a hard-charging 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while
Moro Osumanu (Reading, Pa./Reading) and
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) finished with 10 and 13 points, respectively. In addition to his career-high 21 points, Blair chipped in six assists, while
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) finished with a team-high six assists.
West Chester led by as many as 12 late in the first half after a 9-0 run midway through the half to break open a game that featured five ties and 12 lead changes. West Chester shot north of 50.0 % in both the first and second half, shooting an even 50.0 % in the first half and 55.6 % from the field in the second half to shoot a solid 52.7 % (29-of-55) from the field and 50.0 % (7-of-14) from three-point range. Perhaps the lone concerning point of the game for West Chester was its 52.0 % (13-of-25) free throw shooting effort, which kept the game close down the stretch.
The game's first four minutes were tightly contested, if not a bit sloppy. The two sides combined for just six points and seven turnovers, and Jefferson held a 4-2 lead with 15:50 to play in the first half.
The following five minutes brought similar fortunes for both teams as the scored moved to 12-10 in favor of Jefferson at the under-12 media timeout.
West Chester scored seven of the next 12 points to take a 17-15 lead with under eight minutes to play, thanks in part to five points from Blair, including his second made three of the evening.
Moro Osumanu (Reading, Pa./Reading) scored five unanswered points out of the under-eight media timeout to stretch the lead to 22-15 and force another quick Jefferson timeout.
West Chester maintained its lead to 10 with five minutes to play in the first half, but Jefferson outscored West Chester 12-7 down the stretch to cut the deficit to 36-31 heading into the halftime break.
West Chester shot an even 50.0 % (14-of-28) from the field and 57.1 % (4-of-7) from three-point range, led by Blair's 13 first-half points on 3-for-3 shooting from deep. Blair was the lone Golden Ram in double figures in the opening 20 minutes, but Osumanu also had a strong half, finishing the first 20 minutes with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.
For Jefferson, Jeremiah Dorsey and Farouk Kaba led the way in scoring with seven points each. The Rams shot 40.0 % (10-of-25) from the field and 20.0 % (3-of-15) from three while also going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line.
Jefferson continued its late first-half run in the second half, cutting the West Chester lead to 44-42 with 15:25 to play after outscoring West Chester 11-8 to begin the second. West Chester continued to battle and claimed a 60-55 lead with seven minutes to play in regulation.
West Chester stretched its lead back to eight after a driving layup by Purnell Jr. with under five minutes to play, which pushed the lead to 66-58. With the eight-point lead entering the late stages, West Chester never looked back, stretching its lead back to 10 late en route to a 78-70 victory over previously unbeaten Jefferson on Wednesday night.
Ashton Miller scored a game-high 26 points as one of four Rams in double figures in the setback, including a 10-of-10 effort at the free throw line and a pair of threes as a part of his 7-for-13 effort from the field.
Jefferson shot 43.1 % (22-of-51) from the field and 25.0 % (7-of-28) from three-point range, while also 19-for-21 (90.5 %) to remain within striking distance throughout the night despite trailing for nearly 30 of the 40 minutes.
West Chester and Jefferson each corralled 31 rebounds on Wednesday night, although WCU ended the game with a 9-4 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also won the turnover battle by 7 (21-14), which translated into a 27-19 lead in points off turnovers and was part of the 36-26 lead in points in the paint.
The Golden Rams also finished the night with a 26-16 lead in points off the bench, led by 23 points from Osumanu and Purnell Jr. in season-high efforts for both.
Up Next
West Chester will open conference play this weekend with a visit to the Western half of Pennsylvania as the Golden Rams open Crossover play against Slippery Rock on Friday at 5 and Edinboro on Saturday at 3 p.m.
