WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Leading by four at the half, the West Chester University men's basketball team (5-2) shot 54.8 % from the field in the second half and outscored Chestnut Hill (2-4) 47-29 to cruise to a 74-52 victory over the visiting Griffins on Thanksgiving Eve for the second year in a row.
West Chester trailed for less than 20 seconds in the victory, finding itself behind by two early in the first half and despite a late-first-half cold snap, which saw the Golden Rams shoot just 15.3 % (2-of-13) in the final seven minutes of the half, led by as many as 24 late in the second half in the 18-point triumph.
West Chester finished with four players in double figures as
Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion), Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist), and Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) tied for the game lead in scoring with 12 points each, while
James Johns Jr. (Claymont, Del./Long Island Lutheran) added 10 points of his own. Walker flirted with a double-double late in the second half, finishing with seven rebounds, but
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) led the team in rebounding with nine in the victory.
West Chester jumped out to an early 25-17 lead, shooting 57.9 % (11-of-19) from the field through the first 13 minutes of play, led by eight early points from Walker.
West Chester cooled off significantly in the final seven minutes of the first half, going just 2-for-13 from the field and 2-for-5 at the line. The Golden Rams carried a slim 27-23 lead into the halftime break.
Walker remained the Golden Rams leading scorer in the first half, scoring eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Alejandro Redondo-Cybak led all scorers with nine on 4-of-5 shooting.
West Chester shot 37.5 % (12-of-32) from the field in the first half, including a 1-for-8 effort three-point range and 2-for-5 at the line.
Luckily for West Chester, Chestnut Hill did not fare much better in the first half. It connected on just 10-of-31 (32.3 %) in the first half, including 1-for-13 (7.7 %) from deep and 2-of-4 at the free-throw line.
West Chester stretched its lead to 18 with 10:50 to play in regulation and held a 56-42 advantage over the visiting Griffins with eight minutes remaining.
The Golden Rams extended their lead to 63-44 with 4:11 to play after a successful trip to the line by Dennis before extending the lead to 24 (70-46) with under two minutes to play after a pull-up jumper by
Saleem Payne (Philadelphia, Pa./Phelps School).
West Chester ended the game shooting 46.0 % (29-of-63) from the field, including a 4-for-16 (25.0 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 12-of-18 (66.7 %) at the free throw line, including a 10-of-13 (76.9 %) effort in the second half. West Chester also ended the game with a 46-34 lead in rebounding, including a 15-13 lead on the offensive glass, which led to 14 second-chance points for the Golden Rams.
West Chester ended the game even with Chestnut Hill in turnovers as both sides were charged with 14, although West Chester ended the game with an 18-8 lead in points off turnovers and a 44-20 lead in points in the paint.
Thanks largely to the 10 from Johns Jr. and eight from Payne, West Chester ended the game with a 27-17 lead in points off the bench as the Golden Rams second unit continues to be one of the strongest in the Atlantic Region.
For Chestnut Hill, the Griffins shot just 29.5 % (18-of-61) from the field, including a 16.7 % (5-of-30) effort from three-point range, while also going 11-for-14 (78.6 %) from the line. The Griffins shot just 26.7 % from the field in the second half, including a 23.5 % effort from beyond the arc as they watched a close game at the half slip away late for the second game in a row.
Omari Salvi finished with a team-high 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting and a 4-for-6 effort at the line, while Landon Shivers flirted with a double-double, finishing with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Friday, December 6 against California (Pa.), beginning at 5 p.m. in Hollinger Field House.
