JOHNSTOWN, Pa.-Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) scored a season-high 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, including five makes from three-point range to help lead the RV West Chester University men's basketball team (9-2) to a 71-57 victory over Pitt-Johnstown (7-5, 3-2) on Tuesday afternoon.
West Chester trailed for less than four minutes early in the first half and led by as many as 17 on two occasions in the second half as the Golden Rams rolled to a 14-point victory, which was also the team's first victory over the Mountain Cats since a January 2019 victory in Hollinger.
Today's game counted as a non-league game for West Chester and a league game for UPJ in an effort to balance the PSAC Schedule following the unexpected departure of Mercyhurst over the summer.
Allen was one of two Golden Rams in double figures in the victory as
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) chipped in 10 points, along with nine points from
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) on 4-of-7 and 4-of-8 shooting.
West Chester shot 40.8 % (29-of-71) from the field, including 26.1 % (6-of-23) from three-point range, while also hitting 7-of-11 (63.6 %) from the line.
One of the best rebounding teams in Division II, West Chester, ended the game with a 45-29 lead in rebounding, including a 25-10 lead on the offensive glass, which helped lead to a 22-8 advantage in second-chance points. West Chester also won the points-off-turnovers battle by a 28-18 margin while outscoring its hosts 40-28 in points in the paint.
West Chester found itself locked in a tight game early, leading by one (15-14) after a layup by McCall with 9:57 to play before Will Kromka hit a jumper to restore a slim 16-15 lead for the Mountain Cats.
West Chester trailed for a minute after this before Allen elevated and hit a deep corner three to give West Chester an 18-16 lead.
West Chester did not trail again in the first half as this three sparked an 11-1 WCU run, led by five points from Allen, which gave West Chester a 26-17 lead with 6:11 to play in the first half.
Pitt-Johnstown responded with a modest 5-3 run over the next two minutes to cut the West Chester lead to 29-22 after a perfect trip to the line by Kromka. The Mountain Cat comeback continued as Adam Bilinsky hit a layup moments later to make the score 29-24. On the wrong end of a 7-3 run, West Chester countered with a 7-4 run of its own, led by five more from Allen as he quickly increased his first-half point total to 15 with a minute to play in the first half. Allen's step-back three with 1:09 to play until halftime was the final points of the first half as West Chester carried a narrow 36-28 lead into the halftime break.
West Chester shot 38.1 % (16-of-42) from the field in the first half, including a 3-for-13 (23.1 %) effort from three-point range while also going 1-for-2 at the line.
West Chester also ended the first half with a commanding 27-14 lead in rebounding, including a 16-4 advantage on the offensive glass, which translated into a 14-4 lead in second-chance points.
West Chester extended its lead to as many as 17 early in the second half, outscoring UPJ 13-4 through the first four minutes of the half to take a commanding 49-32 lead.
Pitt-Johnstown put together its best run of the game as the second half progressed, going on an 11-0 run midway through the half to cut the lead to six, but this was as close as West Chester allowed its hosts to get in the 71-57 victory over the Mountain Cats.
UPJ was led by 14 points from Baden Forup on 6-of-9 shooting from the field while also going 2-for-4 at the free throw line as the lone Mountain Cat in double figures.
As a team, Pitt-Johnstown shot 40.4 % (19-of-47) from the field, including 20.0 % (2-of-10) shooting from three-point range, while also going 17-for-22 (77.3 %) at the line.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon for its last game of 2024 at home against Seton Hill, beginning at approximately 3 p.m.
