BOWIE, Md.- Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) led all scores with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (1-1) to a 76-73 victory over Bowie State (0-2) on Saturday afternoon at Bowie State.
Moss was one of four Golden Rams in double figures as
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, along with 12 points each from
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC). McCall also led West Chester in rebounding with eight, while Rodriguez Jr. finished with eight assists and seven rebounds in the victory.
West Chester shot north of 50.0 % in both the first and second half, shooting 54.9 % (28-of-51) from the field, including a 25.0 % (3-of-12) from three-point range, while also going 17-for-23 (73.9 %) from the charity stripe in the victory.
In a game that featured seven ties and 13 lead changes, West Chester found itself trailing by two at the half (40-38) but used a 7-0 run early in the second half to erase the deficit and earn the road victory. West Chester outscored its guests 38-33 in the second half and stretched its lead to as many as six with 9:39 to play after a jumper by Moss as a part of his 23-point effort.
West Chester shot 54.2 % (14-of-24) from the field in the second half, including two makes from three-point range, while also going 10-for-12 (83.3 %) at the free throw line to earn its first road victory of the young season over the Bulldogs.
After shooting 47.1 % (16-of-34) from the field in the first half, Bowie State was just 8-of-18 (44.4 %) in the second half, finishing the game shooting 46.2 % (24-of-52) from the field, including an 8-for-24 (33.3 %) effort from three-point range along with a 17-of-24 (70.8 %) effort from the free-throw line. Charles Thomas III led Bowie State in scoring as the Bulldogs' entire starting five finished in double figures.
West Chester ended the game with a 31-24 lead in rebounding, including a 7-6 lead on the offensive glass, which helped the Golden Rams finish the game with a 42-18 lead in points in the paint. West Chester forced 18 Bowie State turnovers and, despite committing 20 of its own, finished the game with a 22-14 lead in points off turnovers and an 18-14 lead in points off the break.
Up Next
West Chester will return home this evening and begin preparations for its home opener against Caldwell on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. before visiting Goldey-Beacom on Friday, November 21
st, for its final road game until a December 16 matchup at Jefferson (6 P.M.).
