WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (16-3, 11-1) to a dominant 101-52 victory over Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon.
Allen was one of five Golden Rams in double figures and one of 13 to score in the victory as head coach
Damien Blair and West Chester showed their depth within the triumphant home-court victory.
Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion) scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) added 14 of his own on 6-of-7 shooting from the field while also going 2-for-7 at the line.
Nix Varano (Chalfont, Pa./La Salle College HS) finished two points shy of his career high with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 2-for-4 effort from deep.
Alex Walinski (New Hope, Pa./New Hope Solebury) and
Myles Grey (Reading, Pa./Reading) both set new career highs in the victory, finishing with nine points (3-of-4 shooting from three-point range) and six (2-of-3 from three), respectively.
West Chester shot a season-high 55.9 % (38-of-68) from the field, including a 58.3 % (14-for-24) effort from three-point range. This effort also set a new season-high for both percentages and made three-pointers.
West Chester stretched its lead to as many as 29 late in the first half after shooting a blistering 61.1 % (22-of-36) from the field, and 66.7 % (6-of-9) from three-point range, which helped the Golden Rams carry a 55-28 lead into the halftime break.
Allen led West Chester in the first half, scoring 16 points off the bench, while Dennis and Walker each scored 12 points of their own in the first 20 minutes.
Bloomsburg shot just 43.5 % (10-of-23) from the field in the first half, including a 15.4 % (2-of-13) effort from deep, while also going 6-for-11 (54.5 %) from the line. Danny Bruce led the Huskies in scoring in the first half, finishing with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.
West Chester stretched its lead north of 30 points in the early stages of the second half, leading by 38 with under 11 minutes to play.
West Chester stretched its lead to 40 with 4:14 to play and eventually rolled to a 49-point victory after a late barrage of three-pointers sealed a 101-52 victory over Bloomsburg.
West Chester ended the game with a 41-29 lead in rebounding, including a 15-7 lead on the offensive glass, which resulted in a 15-7 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 22-8 lead in turnovers and a 28-7 lead in points off turnovers, along with a 40-26 lead in points in the paint, a 20-11 lead in points off the break, and a 54-22 lead in points off the bench, led by a combined 27 points from Allen and Varano.
Bloomsburg was led offensively by Bruce, who finished with 11, and Louie Wild, who chipped in 10 points of his own, including a team-best two makes from three-point range. The Huskies shot 39.1 % (18-of-46) from the field, including a 5-for-19 (26.3 %) effort from three-point range. Bloomsburg also went 11-for-19 (57.9 %) at the line in the 49-point loss.
West Chester's 101-point outburst sets a new season high for West Chester as the team extended its home winning streak to 14 games, which remains second-best in the PSAC and among the best in DII men's basketball. Tonight is West Chester's first 100-point game since a 102-59 thrashing of Shippensburg last February.
Tonight's win is the Golden Rams largest win over a PSAC East opponent under head coach
Damien Blair, the team's largest win over a league foe since an 88-37 win over Edinboro in December 2018, and the team's largest win over a PSAC East foe since a February 1996 win over Mansfield (107-54).
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday night at Millersville beginning at 7:30 before visiting Lock Haven next Saturday afternoon.
