WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) led four Golden Rams in double figures with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (2-1) to an 89-68 victory over Caldwell (0-3) on Wednesday night in Hollinger Field House.
West Chester trailed only briefly in the victory, finding itself behind for the first 4:50 of the game before a 13-0 run erased the deficit and gave the Golden Rams a lead they would never relinquish. West Chester used multiple first-half runs to build up a nine-point (41-32) lead heading into the half before leading by as many as 27 in the waning moments of regulation in the 21-point home opener win.
McCall scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half as he had only scored five on 2-of-6 shooting through the first 20 minutes before going 5-for-7 from the field in the second half, including his second make from three-point land of the night to finish with a team-high 17 points.
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) finished with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) added 14 points and six assists, along with 13 from
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School). Moss scored seven of his 13 points at the free throw line as the veteran forward was 7-for-8 from the free throw line in just over 15 minutes of action.
West Chester found itself behind early, trailing 7-1 in the first two minutes before the Cougars stretched their lead to 11-4 with 16:22 to play after a good Terrence Thompson jumper for two of his game-high 10 first-half points.
West Chester roared back with a 13-0 run, which included back-to-back makes by
Jaysean Williams (Bloomfield, CT./The Patrick School) to take a 17-11 lead.
West Chester stretched its lead to as many as 14 with under three minutes to play in the first half after a Blair step back, capped off another 12-0 Golden Ram run. West Chester also made a pair of threes during this run as
Joe Sedora (York, Pa./Red Lion) and Rodriguez Jr. connected from long distance.
Caldwell scored the final five points of the first half, cutting the West Chester lead to 41-32 heading into the halftime break
.
West Chester overcame a slow start offensively, shooting 45.7 % (16-of-35) from the field in the first 20 minutes, including a 4-for-9 (44.4 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 5-for-6 at the free throw line.
Rodriguez Jr. led West Chester in scoring in the first half with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, while
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) chipped in seven early points of his own.
Thompson led Caldwell and all scorers in the first half with 10 points as the Cougars shot just 39.3 % (11-of-28) from the field, including a 1-for-5 (20.0 %) effort from deep, while also going 9-for-14 (64.3 %) from the free throw line.
Out of the break, West Chester outscored Caldwell 10-2 through the first three minutes to stretch its lead to 51-34 before a quick 5-0 run with under 14 minutes to play, which included a three by Blair, gave West Chester a 21-point (62-41) lead with 13 minutes to play.
The Golden Rams never looked in trouble down the stretch as the Golden Rams stretched their lead to 27 with 2:11 to play after a
Nix Varano (Chalfont, Pa./La Salle College) corner three stretched the lead to 89-62.
Caldwell held West Chester scoreless over the final two minutes and outscored West Chester 7-0 over this span, but the Golden Rams' lead was plenty as the hosts held on for their second home opener victory in a row and their 11
th in the last 12 seasons under head coach
Damien Blair.
West Chester shot 43.8 % (32-of-73) from the field in the victory, including an 8-for-19 (42.1 %) effort from three-point range, while also going 17-for-22 (77.3 %) from the free throw line.
Caldwell was led by a game-high 18 points from Melvin Evans and got a double-double from Thompson with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The Cougars shot 39.3 % (24-of-61) from the field, including a 2-for-12 (16.7 %) effort from deep, while also going 18-for-28 (64.3 %) at the charity stripe.
West Chester ended the game with a 49-38 lead in rebounding, led by six rebounds from
Larenzo Jerkins (Chester, Pa./Neumann Goretti). West Chester ended the game with a 44-36 lead in points in the paint, although Caldwell finished with a slim 17-16 lead in second-chance points.
West Chester also won the turnover battle (20-14) and outscored Caldwell in points off turnovers 24-11.
Williams led the Golden Ram bench in scoring with six points on 3-of-6 shooting as one of six reserves to score in the victory. West Chester's second unit outscored Caldwell's by a 26-21 margin.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Friday afternoon at Goldey Beacom beginning at 3 p.m. before returning home to begin a three-game homestand against Immaculata on Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 26) at 3 p.m.
