West Chester at Millersville
Game Details: January 29 I 7:30 P.M.
Location: Pucillo Gymnasium (Millersville, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video I Tickets
Series: 106-104
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Last Time Out
West Chester ran its winning streak to four in a row on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Rams dismantled Bloomsburg by a historic 101-52 final. The largest PSAC East win under head coach Damien Blair, West Chester saw 13 players score, with five of those 13 finishing in double figures in the dominant victory. Led by 17 points off the bench from Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) and a pair of career-highs from Alex Walinski (New Hope, Pa./New Hope-Solebury) (nine points; 3-of-4 from three) and Myles Grey (Reading, Pa./Reading) (six points; 2-of-3 from three), West Chester shot a season-high 55.9 % (38-of-68) from the field, including 58.3 % (14-of-24) from three-point range. West Chester was never in trouble on Saturday as the team led by 29 late in the first half before stretching its lead to 49 in the waning seconds of regulation after Grey hit his second three of the afternoon to set his career high and help West Chester set a season-high for makes from three-point range. 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 Nix Varano (Chalfont, Pa./La Salle College HS).
Flock Talk
After its explosive performance on Saturday, West Chester is now averaging 79.9 points per game on 43.7 % shooting from the field, including 32.7 % from three-point range, while also outrebounding its foes by a 43.6-33.7 margin on the season. West Chester’s opponents enter play on Wednesday night averaging 71.7 points per game on 41.7 % shooting and 29.4 % from deep while also trailing 15.5-14.2 in the turnover battle, partly due to a 9.2 steal per game average for the Golden Rams.
Allen leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game as one of four Golden Rams to average in double figures. Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion) is second on the team, averaging 12.1 points per game, while Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) are tied for third, averaging 11.3 points per game. Allen has scored in double figures in 13 of 18 games this season and led West Chester in scoring in eight of those games, helping the Golden Rams to a record of 7-1 in games that he leads the team in scoring. Walker and Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) are first and second in rebounding, averaging 7.6 and 5.0 per game, while Blair leads the team in assists, averaging 4.6 per game, which is third-best in the PSAC. Blair also has the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the PSAC at 2.3 per game, which trails only Trey Nelson of Clarion, who sits atop at 2.8.
Chasing the Legend
Head coach Damien Blair looks to continue his march to 300 career wins this afternoon as he enters play just four wins away from becoming the second West Chester men’s basketball coach to accomplish this feat, with the lone other being legendary head coach Dick DeLaney, who the Hollinger Field House floor now bears the name of alongside legendary women’s basketball head coach Deirdre Kane.
On the Glass
West Chester is third in Division II in rebounding, averaging 43.6 rebounds per game, thanks in part to 16.8 offensive rebounds per game, which is third-best. West Chester is also fifth in DII in rebounding margin and is first in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+9.9), offensive rebounding, and rebounding.
Going Streaking
West Chester has won 14 games in a row in Hollinger and each of its last four overall. The Golden Ram's 14-game home winning streak is second-best in the PSAC and fifth-best in Division II men’s basketball. Gannon leads the PSAC and holds the second-longest home winning streak in DII with a 29-game streak.
The Second Unit
West Chester’s bench averages 24.5 points per game, including a 54-point outburst on Saturday in the win over Bloomsburg, which ranks fourth in the PSAC. East Stroudsburg leads the league in points off the bench, averaging 32.1 per game.
Made in the Paint
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in 16 of 19 games this season, and the Golden Rams hold a 736 (38.7/g)-553 (29.1/g) advantage in this category. West Chester is unbeaten when outscoring or finishing the game tied with its foes in the paint (34-34 vs. IUP) but is 0-2 when outscored (West Liberty 50-44; East Stroudsburg 34-26).
Give It a Second Chance
West Chester has outscored its opponents in second-chance points in every game but two this season, entering play with a 338 (17.8)-181 (9.5) lead through 19 games.
History Made
Saturday’s win set a new season-high in scoring for West Chester and was the Golden Rams first 100-point outburst since a 102-59 thrashing of Shippensburg last February. The 49-point victory was the Golden Rams largest win over a PSAC East foe 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).
Series Information
One of the longest-running rivalries on the books in PSAC men’s basketball, West Chester will meet Millersville for the 211th time on Wednesday night, holding a slim 106-104 lead in the all-time series despite being swept by the Marauders a year ago. Since 2019-20, Millersville has won seven of nine over the Golden Rams, with the lone exception being a pair of wins in Hollinger in 2020 (86-69) and 2023 (96-91 2OT). West Chester has not vanquished Millersville away from home since a 72-63 triumph at Millersville in January 2019, which was part of an 11-game winning streak for West Chester over the Marauders.
Scouting Millersville
Millersville enters play with a record of 11-8 on the year and a mark of 7-5 in league play after stumbling against Lock Haven by a 73-70 final on Saturday afternoon. Led by 19 points from Saraj Ali and 15 from Aiden Gair, Millersville trailed by seven (34-27) at the half but stormed back in the second half, outscoring its hosts 43-39 in the second to nearly complete the road comeback victory. Millersville shot 40.0 % (26-of-65) from the field and 27.3 % (6-of-22) from three-point range while also going 12-for-13 (92.3 %) from the free throw line. Millersville ended the game with a 35-30 lead in rebounding, although the Bald Eagles finished the night with a 14-12 lead in the turnover battle.
Millersville has won seven of its 11 games at home this season, showing a mark of 7-2 in Pucillo Gymnasium, while playing to a record of just 4-6 away from its familiar confines. The Marauders average 82.1 points per game on 48.1 % shooting from the field and 29.6 % from three-point range while also hitting 73.8 % of their attempts at the charity stripe. The Marauders also hold a 38.6-33.2 lead in rebounding and a 16.3-15.1 lead in the turnover battle, thanks in part to a 9.1 steal per game average. Dealing with the fourth-ranked offense in the league defensively, Millersville’s opponents average 73.9 points per game on 44.3 % shooting from the field and 33.9 % from beyond the arc.
Individually, Drew Stover leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game, while Ali is second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding, averaging 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Stover and Ali are two of five Marauders averaging in double figures this season as Gair is third, averaging 13.4 points per game, followed by Jahme Ested, who averages 11.4 and Montell Cooper, who averages 10.9 points per game. Ested and Cooper lead the team in assists, averaging 4.1 and 2.5 per game, while also ranking first and second in steals, averaging 1.7 and 1.6 per game.
