West Chester at Slippery Rock
Game Details: November 22 I 5 P.M.
Location: Morrow Field House (Slippery Rock, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video I Tickets
Series: 15-8
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
ROCK Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
West Chester at Edinboro
Game Details: November 23 I 3 P.M.
Location: McComb Field House (Edinboro, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video I Tickets
Series: 14-9
‘BORO Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester was back in action for its second home game in five days against unbeaten Jefferson. Playing the Rams for the first time in 10 years as the visitors looked to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1994, West Chester battled throughout the night and emerged victorious by a 78-70 final. West Chester trailed only briefly on Wednesday night, never trailing by more than four while leading by as many as 12 in the eight-point home triumph. Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) had a career night, scoring a career-high 21 points, six assists, three steals, and three rebounds as one of four Golden Rams in double figures. Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) chipped in 14, while Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski) and Moro Osumanu (Reading, Pa./Reading) added 13 and 10. West Chester shot north of 50.0 % from the field in both halves, shooting 52.7 % for the game, including a 7-for-14 effort from beyond the arc.
Flock Talk
Averaging 82.3 points per game on 41.1 % shooting and 32.6 % from three-point range, West Chester returned to .500 on the young season this week with a pair of impressive victories over Wilmington (92-78) on Saturday and a 78-70 win over Jefferson on Wednesday. West Chester shot a season-best 52.7 % from the field in its victory on Wednesday night, including a 55.6 % effort in the second half to hold off the resurgent Rams. West Chester continues to be one of the top rebounding squads in Division II, averaging 43.8 rebounds per game while also forcing an average of 16.3 turnovers per game, consistently getting extra possessions throughout the year.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game, while the team’s rebounding leader, Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion), is second in scoring, averaging 11.3 points per game, while his 6.5 rebounds is first on the team. Blair is first on the team in both assists (3.0/g) and steals (2.3/g) while ranking third in scoring, averaging nine points per game.
The Second Unit
Through an admittedly small sample size, West Chester is second in the PSAC and 23rd in DII in points off the bench, averaging 35.8 points per game. The WCU bench has outscored the opposing bench in three of four games this season, including a 42-31 advantage over No. 17 West Liberty.
Crash The Glass
WCU is tied for 13th in Division II in rebounding, averaging 43.8 rebounds per game, thanks in part to a PSAC-Best 19.7 offensive rebounds. West Chester is also 16th in DII in rebounding margin and is second in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+9.5) and rebounding.
Give us a Second Chance
West Chester has outscored its opponents in second-chance points in every game this season, entering play with a 73 (18.3)-29 (7.3) lead through four games.
Free Throw Woes
One area of weakness for WCU this season has been its work at the free-throw line. West Chester has shot below 75.0 % in every game this season and 67 % or lower in each of its last three (66.7 vs. Wheeling, 65.2 vs. Wilmington, 52.0 vs. Jefferson).
Crossing Over
West Chester has not lost a game in its opening weekend of PSAC Crossover play since a 12/2/22 loss vs Mercyhurst. WCU has not been swept in its opening crossover weekend since December 2021, when the Golden Rams fell to UPJ and IUP.
Hey Dad!
Damien and Dylan Blair will have the unique opportunity to be a father/son duo for the next three years as the younger Blair joins WCU as a sophomore transfer from West Point.
Series History
West Chester enters the weekend, appearing to be in an excellent position to improve to 4-2 on the year and 2-0 in league play with a pair of PSAC East/West Crossover battles against Slippery Rock and Edinboro on Friday and Saturday. Against the Rock, West Cheser is 15-8 all-time, including an exciting 84-82 victory in Hollinger last season, which saw West Chester mount a furious second-half comeback and hold off the Rock late for the two-point victory. Against Edinboro, West Chester holds a 14-9 lead in the series with wins in its last four meetings, including an 81-70 victory in Hollinger last December.
Scouting Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock enters play with a record of 2-2 on the year after falling to Fairmont State by a 78-75 final in its most recent test. The Rock led by five at the half but was outscored 43-35 in the second half as the Falcons shot a blistering 50.0 % from the field to counteract a 44.4 % three-point shooting effort from the upset-minded Rock. Ike Herster and Jomo Goings tied for the team lead in scoring with 21 points, while Goings led the team in assists, finishing with five in the setback. Heading into this weekend, Slippery Rock will play its fifth and sixth home games of the season after venturing out of Morrow Field House only once for an 85-77 victory over Wheeling on November 13.
Averaging 77.8 points per game on 40.4 % shooting from the field and 25.6 % from beyond the arc, Jomo Goings leads the Rock in scoring (22.5/g), rebounding (9.5/g), and steals (2.8/g). The Rock averages 39.0 rebounds for a +1.3 rebounding advantage on the year while averaging 16.3 turnovers and forcing opponents into 15.3 on the year. Ike Herster is second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game, while Millersville transfer Day Waters is third, averaging 10.8 points per game.
Scouting Edinboro
Edinboro enters the weekend with a record of 3-2 heading into its Friday evening clash with Kutztown after dismantling Penn State-DuBois by a 120-63 final earlier this week. The Fighting Scots raced out to an early 65-36 lead and outscored their guests 55-27 in the second half, ending the game shooting a stellar 58.2 % from the field and 88.9 % from the line in the victory. Bryce Baez led Edinboro in the victory, finishing with 25 points, while Cenker Evran, one of the top rebounders in Division II, finished with 15 to help Edinboro outrebound its foes by a 46-42 final. Evan Berger led the team in assists and steals with five and seven to go along with 22 points, while Michael Dunn drained a team-best six threes to finish with 19 points.
Edinboro enters play averaging 82.8 points per game on 46.9 % shooting from the field and 33.3 % from deep, while its foes average 68.6 points per game on 44.4 % shooting, including a 29.2 % effort from long range. Edinboro also holds a 38.4-30.0 lead in rebounding a 10.8-9.0 lead in turnovers while shooting 73.3 % from the charity stripe through five games.
Evran leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game, while his 13.4 rebounds per game is third best in Division II heading into the weekend. Steve Kelly, one of three grad students on the Edinboro roster, leads the team in assists, averaging 5.4 per game, while Berger leads the team in steals, averaging 2.8 per game. Berger also ranks second in scoring (12.6/g) and assists (2.0/g).
