WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting and
James Johns Jr. (Claymont, Del./Long Island Lutheran) added 15 off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting, including two makes from three-point range to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (6-2, 3-0) to a 77-60 victory over California (6-4, 1-2) on Friday night.
West Chester found itself down six at the half but doubled up its guests in the second half, outscoring Cal 46-23 in the second half to erase the deficit and roll to a 17-point victory after leading by as many as 22 late in the second half.
Tonight's win marked the second time this season that West Chester erased a halftime deficit. It was also the seventh time in eight games that West Chester outscored its opponents in the second half. The other time West Chester overcame a halftime deficit was on the opening weekend of Crossover when the Golden Rams stormed back to defeat Edinboro.
West Chester shot 43.2 % (16-of-37) from the field in the second half, including an even 50.0 % (5-of-10) from three-point range, while also hitting 9-of-11 (81.8 %) from the line to complete the comeback.
Allen and Johns Jr. were two of five Golden Rams in double figures in the victory as
Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion) and
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) finished with 10 each.
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) poured in 13 as four of five starters scored in double figures. Walker also led the team in rebounding, finishing with 12 for his first double-double of the season. Blair flirted with a double-double of his own, finishing with eight assists and three steals, both of which were team-highs in the victory.
West Chester finished the night shooting 38.7 % (29-of-75) from the field and 35.0 % (7-for-20) from three-point range while also shooting 75.0 % (12-of-16) at the free throw line.
West Chester trailed for much of the first half and was down by as many as seven midway through the first 20 minutes but cut the deficit to 37-31 heading into the halftime break.
West Chester shot just 34.2 % (13-of-38) from the field, including a 2-for-10 effort from three-point range in the first half, while also going 3-for-5 at the line.
Allen led West Chester in scoring in the first half, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Keondre Sheilds finished with 15 on 5-of-6 shooting.
West Chester outscored its guests 16-9 to open the second half and got four early points each from Walker and Dennis to help key the run and give the Golden Rams a slim 47-46 lead.
West Chester continued its strong second half, scoring 10 of the following 12 points to grab a 57-48 lead with 7:45 to play, which was the game's largest lead for either side up until that point. The Golden Rams stretched their lead to 18 after a deep three by Johns Jr. found its mark with 4:44 to play in regulation, which increased his total to 15 points on the night.
The Golden Rams continued their exceptional second half, stretching the lead to 22 with three minutes to play in the 77-60 victory over the Vulcans. This marked the Purple and Gold's seventh straight victory in the series.
Cal finished with three players in double figures, led by 18 points from Keondre Fields, while Duncan Moy chipped in 13 off the bench and 10 from Cam Polak in his return to Hollinger Field House.
Cal shot 36.1 % (22-of-61) from the field in the loss, including 30.8 % (8-of-26) from three-point range and 57.1 % (8-of-14) from the free-throw line. The Vulcans shot just 26.7 % from the field in the second half, including a 14.3 % (2-of-14) effort from deep, which doomed them to their seventh consecutive loss at the hands of the Golden Rams.
West Chester ended the game with a 53-37 lead in rebounding, including a 19-8 lead on the offensive glass, which resulted in an 18-5 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 12-10 lead in turnovers, which translated into a 19-6 lead in points off turnovers and helped a 36-28 lead in points in the paint.
Johns Jr.'s 15 points also helped West Chester finish the game with a 17-15 lead in points off the bench.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action tomorrow afternoon vs longtime rival IUP beginning at 3 p.m. in Hollinger.
