West Chester vs Lock Haven
Game Details: January 6 I 7:30 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 34-12
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
LHU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester (11-2, 6-0) remained one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Region on Friday night as the Golden Rams picked up right where they left off in 2024 with a hard-fought 55-47 victory over Shepherd. Both sides struggled offensively throughout the night as West Chester shot just 33.8 % from the field, with only Davante Dennis in double figures with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, while Shepherd shot an abysmal 27.5 % from the field, including a 2-for-22 effort from three-point range. West Chester carried a slim 24-18 lead into the halftime break after outscoring Shepherd 14-8 in the final 10 minutes of the first half and never appeared in trouble in the second, stretching its lead to 12 midway through the second half en route to the eight-point victory.
Flock Talk
Averaging 77.2 points per game on 41.7 % shooting from the field, including a 30.5 % shooting effort from three-point range, West Chester has been led by Elijah Allen, who averages 16.5 points and 1.9 assists per game. Joshua Walker has caught fire in recent weeks after missing time due to injury early in the season, averaging 11.0 points per game, which is second best on the team, while also leading the squad in rebounding, averaging 7.9 rebounds per game, including a nine-point/13-rebound effort at Shepherd on Friday evening. Army-West Point transfer Dylan Blair has also seemed to find his footing in recent weeks as the sophomore guard now averages 10.8 points per game, which is third best on the team, along with four assists per game, which is first on the team and among the best in the PSAC. West Chester leads the PSAC and ranks second in DII in rebounding, averaging 45.0 rebounds per game, including an 18.1 offensive-rebound per game average, which is the best in Division II men’s basketball entering the final two months of the 2024-25 regular season.
Crash the Glass
West Chester is second 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.
Chasing the Legend
Head coach Damien Blair is just nine 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.
Give us a Second Chance
West Chester has outscored its opponents in second-chance points in every game but two this season, entering play with a 240 (18.5)-122 (9.4) lead through 13 games.
GOING STREAKING
West Chester has won 11 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.
Series History
After dropping its first two games of the season by over 20 points, West Chester has looked like one of the best teams in Division II men’s basketball in recent weeks, rattling off 11 wins in a row to climb into the receiving votes category of the NABC and D2SIDA Men’s Basketball polls. West Chester will look to improve to 2-0 in East play and halt a three-game losing streak at home against Lock Haven on Monday night. After dropping all three games of the season series against Lock Haven a year ago, including a 100-76 loss in the PSAC Quarterfinals, West Chester finds itself in need of a win to halt its longest losing streak vs. Lock Haven under head coach Damien Blair and at least the longest streak since at least 2001. Despite the streak, West Chester still holds a 34-12 lead in the all-time series, as a six-game winning streak preceded this skid. Unbeaten (6-0) at home in 2024, West Chester has been very difficult to beat in Hollinger in recent years, playing to a record of 51-14 at home since 2019-20, including a mark of 10-4 in its home gym a year ago. Since the calendar turned to 2024 last January, West Chester has lost only three times in Hollinger, playing to a record of 12-3 at home, with its last home loss coming on February 3, 2024, vs. Lock Haven by the slimmest of margins (78-77).
Scouting Lock Haven
Lock Haven (6-6, 3-3) halted a losing streak on Friday night with a tremendous second-half performance against Kutztown that saw the Bald Eagles erase a 13-point (39-26) halftime deficit with a 43-27 second-half effort in a 69-66 victory over the Golden Bears. Lock Haven shot 38.7 % from the field, including 15.4 % from three-point range, while also hitting 77.3 % of its free throw attempts. The Bald Eagles were outrebounded by 14 (45-31) but ended the game with a 25-13 lead in the turnover battle, which was crucial in the victory. Junior forward Kevin Coleman, who joined Lock Haven as a transfer from Wheeling, led the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocks on Friday night, finishing the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, while Eli Washington led the team in assists (four) and steals (five). Entering Monday at .500 on the year, Lock Haven averages 74.8 points per game on 43.5 % shooting from the field and 27.3 % shooting from three-point territory as the 2023-24 PSAC East Regular Season Champion Bald Eagles sit in the middle of the pack as PSAC East play gets underway. Washington is first on the team in scoring, averaging 14.6 points per game, while Coleman is first in rebounding and third in scoring, averaging 7.8 rebounds and 10.6 points per game. Washington is also first on the team in assists, averaging 5.6 per game through 12 games this season.
