WEST CHESTER, Pa.- When the West Chester University men's basketball team (15-9, 12-6) welcomes old rival Shippensburg (8-17, 4-15) to Hollinger Field House for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Wednesday night, it will serve as not only the penultimate home game of the 2023-24 regular season but will also officially mark the beginning of the final two weeks of the regular season.
Wednesday night carries major playoff implications for both teams as West Chester looks to lock down one of the top four seeds in the PSAC Tournament and the hosting opportunities that accompany it, while Shippensburg is still battling for one of the final spots in the PSAC Tournament, chasing Shepherd and Mansfield for one of the last two spots in the Eastern Division field.
SERIES INFORMATION
In previous years, West Chester/Shippensburg was appointment basketball as it often played into who would capture one of the top seeds in the PSAC Tournament with last year being no different as the two teams shared the PSAC East Regular Season crown. The 2023-24 season is slightly different as West Chester has had a strong second half to the season, entering play with a record of 15-9 overall and 12-6 in league action, comfortably fourth in the PSAC East, while Shippensburg finds itself battling with Mansfield for the sixth and final spot in the PSAC Tournament when that begins in early March. Holding a 74-36 lead in the all-time series, West Chester will go for its first sweep of Shippensburg since the 2015-16 season tonight while also looking to avoid back-to-back home losses against Shippensburg for what would be believed to be the first time in the history of the series.
FLOCK TALK
Always a tough team to beat in February, West Chester enters play on Wednesday night in need of a win to get back above .500 for the month and improve to 4-3 in the last seven, as the Golden Rams are currently in the midst of a 3-3 run of their last six following an 84-79 victory over Kutztown last Wednesday night. The game was back-and-forth throughout the evening, featuring three ties and six lead changes, but it was a 13-2 run early in the second half, which gave West Chester the breathing room it needed to fend off the upset-minded Golden Bears. West Chester led by double digits (10) only briefly in the victory, but once it established its 10-point lead at the end of the 13-2 run, the Golden Rams never allowed their guests to close within five, holding on for the 5-point triumph. Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) turned in a pair of 20-point performances in the victory as two of four Golden Rams in double figures. Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) picked up his team-leading 13th double-double of the year in the victory, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kellier ranks in a tie for fifth in Division II men's basketball in double-doubles. West Chester shot 45.3 % from the field and 31.3 % from deep in the victory, including a 48.5 % shooting effort from the field in the second half, while also shooting 67.7 % (21-of-31) at the line.
By virtue of season sweeps at the hands of East Stroudsburg and current-league leader Lock Haven, West Chester will find it difficult to climb above a three-seed when the PSAC Tournament begins on March 4. West Chester also completed a sweep of Shepherd earlier this month, giving the Golden Rams substantial insurance against slipping past the four-seed line, meaning that it will be highly likely that West Chester will host a PSAC Tournament First-Round game on Monday, March 4.
West Chester continues to be led offensively by a quartet of players scoring in double figures as Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) leads the group, averaging 18.3 per game, while Smith averages 17.1, Walker averages 14.1, and Kellier is close behind, averaging 12.7 per game. Kellier is also the team leader in rebounding, averaging 10.5 per game, including an average of 7.2 per game on the defensive glass. The veteran forward is also second on the team in assists, averaging 2.6 per game, trailing only Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski), who leads the team in assists, averaging 3.8 per game. This offensive depth has been vital to West Chester once again ranking among the top offensive teams in the PSAC, averaging 80.6 points per game on 45.7 % shooting from the field and 34.7 % from three-point territory entering the final days of the 2023-24 regular season.
 SCOUTING SHIPPENSBURG
Tonight, West Chester will play its penultimate home game of the regular season against an 8-17 Shippensburg team that is still working to earn a spot in the PSAC Tournament as the final two weeks of the regular season get underway tonight. Shippensburg enters in the midst of a two-game losing streak, including a loss to Mansfield, whom the Raiders are chasing for the final spot in the PSAC Tournament, and then 10th-ranked East Stroudsburg on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday against ESU, Shippensburg found itself down nine after the first half and tried to close the gap in the second, turning in a solid 46-point second-half performance, which saw the Raiders shoot 51.7 % from the field, but it was not enough to upset ESU as the Warriors held on for an 85-73 victory. Markus Frank, who leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game, led all scorers in the setback, finishing with 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field. Frank also ranks second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, while Kyle Whippen leads the squad in rebounding, averaging 8.9 rebounds per game.
As a team, Shippensburg averages 76.6 points per game on 42.2 % shooting from the field and 32.7 % from three-point range while also shooting 69.5 % from the line on the year. Defensively, Shippensburg allows its opponents to score an average of 84.4 points per game on 45.2 % shooting from the field and a 32.8 % effort from three-point territory. The Raiders have not had much chance to benefit from extra possessions this year, finding themselves in a -2.8 (42.4-39.6) hole in the rebounding battle while also trailing -1.9 (14.7-12.8) in the turnover battle.
 UP NEXT:
West Chester will take to the road for the final two games of February, visiting Mansfield on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip before heading to Millersville on Wednesday, February 28, for a 7:30 p.m. start. West Chester will return home on Saturday, March 2, for a Senior Day/Pink Zone doubleheader presented by Barnaby's of West Chester beginning at 3 p.m.
