WEST CHESTER AT SHEPHERD
GAME DETAILS: January 3 I 7:30 P.M.
LOCATION: Butcher Center (Shepherdstown, W.V.)
COVERAGE LINKS: Live Stats I Video
SERIES: 11-3
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
SHEPHERD LINKS: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
FAN ADVISORY
Fans attending the game on Friday night at Shepherd are advised that Shepherd has recently instituted a Clear Bag policy for all home athletic events in the Butcher Center. The full policy is available here.
LAST TIME OUT
Playing in its first game since December 21st, West Chester looks to extend its winning streak to 11 games as the calendar turns to 2025 after winning its 10th in a row over Seton Hill by a 69-56 final to end 2024. West Chester held a slim 30-29 lead at the half after shooting 31.4 % from the field in the first half and stretched its lead to 13 with a 39-27 second half en route to the victory. West Chester shot 48.1 % (13-of-27) from the field in the second half, including a 2-for-5 effort from three-point range to head home for the Holidays with its 10th win in as many games. Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) led West Chester in scoring with 23 points (7-of-13 FG; 9-for-12 FT) and 15 rebounds for his third double-double of December. One of the top rebounding squads in DII, West Chester ended the game with a 45-32 lead in rebounding, including a 17-9 lead on the offensive glass, which helped the Golden Rams end the game with a 21-9 lead in second-chance points.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester enters play averaging 79.1 points per game on 42.3 % shooting from the field and 31.6 % from beyond the arc while also hitting 71.2 % at the free throw line through the first 12 games of the season. Ranked third in DII in rebounding, West Chester averages 44.9 rebounds per game and outrebounds its foes by an +11.2 margin per game while also holding a 15.1-14.7 lead in the turnover battle. Defensively, West Chester holds opponents to 72.8 points per game on 42.2 % shooting and 30.0 % from the field while also forcing teams into an average of 15 turnovers and limiting them to just 33.8 rebounds per game.
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) is first on the team in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game, while Walker and Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) are second and third, averaging 11.2 and 11.0 points per game. Walker, who was named PSAC East Athlete of the Week a week ago, also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.4 per game, while Blair leads the team in assists, averaging 4.3 per game, which is tied for fifth best in the PSAC.
We Are Honored
Walker earned his first weekly honor of the year on December 23 as the senior forward was named PSAC East Athlete of the Week after his career day against Seton Hill.
IN EAST OPENERS
West Chester is 11-4 in PSAC East openers under head coach Damien Blair, dating back to the 2008-09 season, when he first assumed control of the Golden Rams. West Chester has won five of its last six openers, with the lone exception being a 74-71 loss at Lock Haven last January in Thomas Field House.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
West Chester is also 11-4 in its first game of the New Year, winning each of the last six after going just 1-3 in such games through Blair’s first four seasons at the helm. Friday night’s game is the first of four in eight days for West Chester as the Golden Rams will return home to face Lock Haven on Monday night, visit East Stroudsburg on Wednesday, and return home again on Saturday afternoon to take on Kutztown on what will also be Alumni Day.
CRASHING THE GLASS
West Chester is tied for 3rd in Division II in rebounding, averaging 44.9 rebounds per game, thanks in part to a DII-best 18.1 offensive rebounds. West Chester is also fifth in DII in rebounding margin and is first in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+11.2) while continuing to lead the league in rebounding.
GOING STREAKING
West Chester has won 10 in a row after dropping its first two games of the year. This winning streak is the longest streak since the team rattled off 13 in a row to open the 2019-20 season. It's the longest mid-season streak since the team won 15 in a row from a Dec. 2018 win over Seton Hill until a Feb. 2019 loss to ESU in 2018-19.
CHASING THE LEGEND
Head coach Damien Blair is just 10 wins away from his 300th win at WCU. When he reaches this milestone he will become the second WCU coach to do so, joining his coach and one of the two individuals the Hollinger Field House floor (Kane-DeLaney Court) is named after-Dick DeLaney as the only West Chester men’s basketball coaches to do so. DeLaney ended his Golden Ram career with 370 wins.
WHEN GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE
West Chester has outscored its opponents in second-chance points in every game but two this season, entering play with a 221 (18.4)-114 (9.5) lead through 12 games. West Chester remains unbeaten in those two exceptions, tying with Edinboro (13-13) and Chestnut Hill (14-14) in second-chance points in a pair of victories at the end of November.
KNOCK, KNOCK
West Chester remains on the cusp of the top-25 as the Golden Rams continue to be among the team’s receiving votes in the NABC poll, earning 11 votes this week.
SERIES HISTORY
Winners of each of the last seven in the series, West Chester has taken a series once close at 4-3 in favor of the Golden Rams and opened an impressive 11-3 lead all-time against Shepherd. West Chester has swept the regular-season series each of the last two years and has a pair of PSAC Tournament wins to show for its troubles against Shepherd, dispatching the Rams in a 4/5 matchup during the first round of the PSAC Tournament in 2022 and 2024.
SCOUTING SHEPHERD
Winners of four of its last five, Shepherd (8-4, 3-1) enters play on Friday night posing a stiff test to the Golden Rams and their 10-game unbeaten streak. The best defensive unit in the league, Shepherd holds opponents to an average of just 68.5 points per game, defensive might, which was on full display in an 80-65 victory over Pitt-Johnstown on December 21.
Against UPJ, Shepherd held a 10-point lead at the half and never truly looked to be in trouble as Marcus Banks scored a team-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Towson transfer Chase Paar added 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds in the 15-point triumph. Shepherd shot an outstanding 52.6 % (30-of-57) from the field, including a 33.3 % (7-for-21) effort from three-point range, while also connecting on 65 % (13-of-20) at the free throw line. The Rams also ended the game with a 35-28 lead in rebounding and a 14-10 lead in turnovers.
As a team, Shepherd’s defense is the story as the Rams hold their opponents to a league-best 68.3 points per game on 41.0 % shooting from the field and 30.4 % from three-point range while also limiting teams to just 33.8 rebounds per game. Offensively, Shepherd averages just 67.3 points per game on 42.4 % shooting from the field and 31.7 % from deep while also hitting 65.7 % at the charity stripe. Led by 8.6 rebounds per game by Parr, who also leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game, Shepherd holds a 37.3-33.8 (+3.6) lead on the glass entering the second half of the 2024-25 season. Banks is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game, while also leading the team in assists, averaging 3.8, which is ninth-best in the PSAC.
