WEST CHESTER, Pa.- With a spot in the PSAC Tournament secured for the 12th year in a row and just five regular season games remaining on the calendar, the 2023-24 basketball season is quickly nearing its climax. On Wednesday night, West Chester (14-9, 11-6) begins its final two-game homestand of the 2023-24 season as Kutztown (3-20, 2-15) makes the short drive to Hollinger Field House for a 7:30 Valentine's Day night tip presented by McDonald's against the rival Golden Rams.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester enters play winners of each of the last four in the series against Kutztown, including an 87-76 victory on the road earlier this season. This success has helped West Chester extend its lead in the all-time series, entering play on Wednesday evening with an 80-41 lead all-time against the Golden Bears. West Chester has not lost to Kutztown in Hollinger since January of the 2019-20 season, falling by a 92-78 final in what was the 12th-ranked Golden Rams third setback in four games after a red-hot start to the campaign.
FLOCK TALK
Normally a tough team to beat in February, West Chester enters play on Wednesday night in need of a win to get back to .500 for the month and .500 in the last six, as the Golden Rams are currently in the midst of a 2-3 run of their last five following a 103-74 loss at No. 11/7 East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon. West Chester led early, holding a six-point lead with 12 minutes to play in the first half and hanging around throughout much of the first 30 minutes of regulation, but a pair of late-half runs proved harmful as East Stroudsburg erased the Golden Ram lead and eventually rolled to the 29-point victory.
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) had a double-double in the setback, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) and
Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) chipped in 17 and 14 points each. West Chester shot just 38.4 % from the field in the loss, including a 2-of-21 (9.5 %) effort from beyond the arc as the Golden Rams struggled from distance throughout the afternoon.
West Chester is currently comfortably in fourth in the PSAC standings, trailing East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, and Millersville for the top three spots, playing to a mark of 0-5 vs the top three after being swept by ESU and LHU earlier this month. West Chester did complete an important sweep of Shepherd in overtime on Wednesday night, which gives the Golden Rams a solid lead over the fifth-place Rams, making it appear that West Chester is well-positioned to host at least a First-Round PSAC Tournament game when that begins on Monday, March 4.
Walker has been at his best when the lights have been brightest this year, ranking third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game as one of four Golden Rams in double figures on the year. Walker has led the team in scoring six times this season, including both matchups against East Stroudsburg, a career-high 26 against Millersville, and an 18-point performance in the road victory over Kutztown earlier this season. Walker also picked up his fourth double-double of the year on Saturday afternoon at ESU, which is second-best on the team, trailing only Kellier, who has 11 to his credit, including a streak of six in a row earlier in East action.
As a team, West Chester averages 80.5 points per game to rank fifth in the league and third in the PSAC East in scoring average. The Golden Rams' efforts have been even more impressive in league play as the team averages 83.0 points per game, which is fourth in the league and second-best in the PSAC East. The Golden Rams shoot 45.7 % from the field on the year and have shot north of 50.0 % from the floor eight times, playing to a record of 7-1 in such games. The lone exception for the Golden Rams was their season-best 57.6 % field goal percentage in a setback against Millersville at the end of January.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
West Chester welcomes a Kutztown team to Hollinger Field House that has played to a record of 3-20 on the season following a pair of losses last week, including a setback at Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon. Jaiden McGhee has been a bright spot for Kutztown this season, averaging a team-leading 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Brendan Boyle is first on the team in assists, averaging 2.7 per game. Freshman guard Brent Ricketts Jr. led the way for Kutztown on Saturday afternoon, finishing with a team-high 15 points as the lone Kutztown player in double figures. The Golden Bears shot just 31.3 % from the field and 22.2 % from beyond the arc while also shooting below 60 % (57.1 %) from the stripe.
As a team, Kutztown averages just over 71 points per game (71.1/g) on 43.1 % shooting from the field and a 29.9 % effort from beyond the arc. On the other side, the Golden Bears' opponents enter play averaging 85.4 points per game on 49.3 % shooting from the field and 36.2 % shooting from beyond the arc while also outrebounding Kutztown by a 37.3-34.2 rebound per game margin.
Hollinger Field House is an all too familiar place for at least one member of the Golden Bears as head coach Bernie Driscoll, who is in his 23rd season at the helm of Kutztown, served as the top assistant coach for the Golden Rams from 1987-2000. During his final three seasons at West Chester, Driscoll helped the Golden Rams win a pair of PSAC East titles and make two NCAA Tournament appearances.
UP NEXT
Tonight is the first of a two-game homestand for West Chester as the Golden Rams welcome Shippensburg to Hollinger next Wednesday night at 7:30. West Chester will conclude February with its final road trip of the season, visiting Mansfield and Millersville on the 24th and 28th before hosting Bloomsburg on Senior Day on Saturday, March 2.
