WEST LIBERTY, W.V.-Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) scored a team-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, but it was not enough to lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (0-1) to an upset victory over No. 17 West Liberty on Friday night as the host Hilltoppers opened the season with a 114-91 win over the Golden Rams.
Allen scored all 20 of his points in the second half, rebounding nicely from a first-half effort, which saw him go 0-for-4 from the field, including an 0-for-2 effort from three-point territory. The senior guard was one of four Golden Rams in double figures on opening night as
Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion) poured in 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in his Golden Ram debut. At the same time,
Nix Varano (Chalfont, Pa./La Salle College HS) and
Saleem Payne (Philadelphia, Pa./Phelps School) finished with 12 points each on 3-of-5 and 5-of-10 shooting, respectively.
In addition to his 20 points, Allen led the team in rebounding with seven, while Dennis corralled six rebounds of his own. Payne led the team in assists, finishing with three helpers in the setback.
Despite the 23-point setback to open the season, West Chester can certainly take some positives from its season opener on Friday night. The Golden Rams played tremendously well in the second half, scoring 58 of their 91 points on 42.2 % (19-of-45) shooting from the field while also going 17-for-21 (80.9 %) at the line in the second half.
West Chester shot just 31.5 % from the field in the first half and committed a costly 18 turnovers, which led to 21 West Libert points in the first half before limiting itself to eight turnovers and just 10 points off the turnovers in the second half.
West Liberty raced out to an early lead on Friday night, pulling ahead by 10 early and carrying a 52-33 lead into the halftime break. The Golden Rams' much improved second-half performance helped the Purple and Gold cut into its nationally ranked foes' advantage, but their hosts pulled away once again late in the second half to earn the 114-91 victory.
Touted as one of the teams to watch in Division II basketball heading into the 2024-25 season, West Liberty ended the night with seven players in double figures, led by a 25-point effort from Kyler D'Augustino and a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double from Finley Woodward to open the new campaign.
West Chester ended the game shooting 37.3 % (31-of-83) from the field, and 24.0 % (6-of-25) from beyond the arc, led by three makes from Varano for nine of his 12 points, while also shooting 74.2 % (23-of-31) from the charity stripe, including 17 makes in the second half.
West Liberty ended the game shooting an outstanding 55.4 % (36-of-65) from the field and 39.3 % (11-of-28) from three-point range while also shooting 68.9 % (31-of-45) from the free throw line.
Despite the setback, West Chester ended the game with a 52-34 rebounding lead, including a 30-11 advantage on the offensive glass, which resulted in a 29-8 advantage in second-chance points.
West Chester also ended the game with a 42-31 lead in points off the bench, while West Liberty finished the contest with a 31-14 lead in points off turnovers (West Liberty +7; 26-19 in turnover battle), a 50-44 lead in points in the paint, and a 37-21 lead in points off the break.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow afternoon vs. Wheeling, beginning at 3 p.m., in its second game in 24 hours to conclude its weekend trip to West Virginia.
