EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- Joshua Walker (Upper Marbloro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) scored 19 points and corralled 11 rebounds to lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (14-9, 11-6) in both categories, but it was not enough to help the Golden Rams knockoff No. 11/7 East Stroudsburg (20-2, 14-2) for the second year in a row in Koehler Field House, falling by a 103-74 final.
West Chester led for much of the early going, but a late first-half run by ESU erased the Golden Rams' early lead and allowed the hosts to carry a 12-point lead into the halftime break. The Golden Rams looked to answer back in the second half and cut the deficit to as few as 10 at the midway point of the half, but the nationally-ranked Warriors had an answer once again, as they silenced any thought of an upset on Saturday afternoon to earn their seventh victory in a row.
Walker was one of three Golden Rams in double figures on Saturday afternoon as
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) finished with 17 of his own to go along with 11 from
Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian), who saw his six-game double-double streak snapped in the setback.
Mirko Bramati (Bologna, Italy/St. Thomas More) led the Golden Rams second unit in scoring, finishing with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting off the bench.
East Stroudsburg had four players score in double figures in the victory, led by 22 from Tyshawn Trail and 16 from leading scorer Lakeem McAliley. Nasir Griffin chipped in 12 of his own, along with 13 bench points from Shamir Johnson, who did his damage in 16 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting. Trail also led ESU in rebounding and assists, finishing with seven boards and five helpers in the victory.
West Chester jumped out to an early 8-3 lead four minutes into the game and continued to lead over the next few minutes, holding a 17-11 lead with 12:16 to play before East Stroudsburg stormed back to even things at 19-19.
Walker put the Golden Rams back out in front with a perfect trip to the line with just under 9:30 to play, but West Chester wouldn't lead again as ESU closed the half on a 29-15 run to carry a 48-36 lead into the break.
Walker finished with a team-high 12 points in the first half as the Golden Rams shot 45.2 % (14-of-31) from the field, including a 2-for-10 (20.0 %) effort from three-point range. West Chester also shot just 54.5 % (6-of-11) from the line in the opening half.
For ESU, Tyshawn Trail finished the first half with 12 points of his own as one of two Warriors in double figures as the hosts shot 58.1 % (18-of-31) from the field, including a 45.5 % (5-of-11) from three-point range. The Warriors also went 7-of-10 at the line in the first 20 minutes to help carry a 12-point lead into the break.
West Chester battled throughout the second half and cut the deficit to 10 (71-61) with 10 minutes to play in regulation, but this is as close as East Stroudsburg would allow the Golden Rams to get as the Warriors posted a 103-74 victory over their visitors.
West Chester ended the game shooting 38.4 % (28-of-73) from the field while going just 2-for-21 (9.5 %) from three-point territory. The Golden Rams also shot just 64.0 % at the line, hitting just 16 of 25 attempts in the setback.
For its part, ESU shot a blistering 57.4 % (35-of-61) from the field, including a 40.7 % (11-of-27) effort from beyond the arc. In the triumph, the Warriors also shot 68.8 % (22-of-32) from the line.
Despite the setback, West Chester outrebounded the 11
th-ranked Warriors by a 42-36 margin, including a 19-8 lead on the offensive glass, which translated into an 18-11 lead in second-chance points and a 46-42 lead in points in the paint.
One of the best defensive units in the PSAC, ESU did force West Chester into 14 turnovers, ending the game with a plus-four advantage in this category, which also helped the Warriors score 12 points off turnovers in the victory.
On Saturday evening, the Warrior bench was a major difference maker as their second unit outscored West Chester by 22 (37-15).
Up Next:
West Chester will have little time to dwell on this setback as the Golden Rams return to action on Wednesday night at home against Kutztown in game two of a Valentine's Day Night doubleheader in Hollinger presented by McDonald's.
