WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and a 5-for-7 effort at the line as one of five Golden Rams in double figures but it was not enough to lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (7-3, 1-2) to victory as the Golden Rams fell to Clarion (7-5, 3-2) by a 96-90 final.
West Chester trailed at halftime but erased the deficit quickly in the second half and led by nine with under 12 minutes remaining after a 9-0 run. Upset-minded Clarion would not be denied on Sunday afternoon, methodically erasing the Golden Rams' nine-point lead before eventually escaping Hollinger with a six-point victory over the homestanding Golden Rams.
McCall was one of five Golden Rams in double figures as
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) finished with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting and a 7-for-10 effort at the line, while
Jaysean Williams (Bloomfield, Ct./The Patrick School) poured in 13 off the bench.
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) and
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) poured in 12 and 10, respectively, as the Golden Rams finished with four of their five starters in double figures.
Rodriguez Jr. led the team in rebounding with 12 as he became the first Golden Ram this season to record a double-double and nearly became the third player in team history to record a triple-double as he also dished out seven assists in the setback. Rodriguez Jr. also led the Golden Rams in assists with two.
West Chester trailed for much of the first half after an early 8-0 run by the Golden Eagles and found itself down 51-47 at the half, despite closing the first half on an 18-11 run, including a buzzer-beating three by Williams.
Clarion led by as many as 11 with 5:53 to play in the first half as Justice Easter scored a half-high 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including a pair of three pointers, while Gavin Cote added 13 of his own on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite the first-half deficit and Clarion scoring the second-most first-half points by an opponent this season, West Chester shot a stellar 69.2 % (18-of-26) from the field, including two makes from beyond the arc, while also going 9-for-14 (64.3 %) at the free-throw line.
Clarion shot 48.5 % (16-of-33) from the field in the first half, including 10 makes from three-point range (10-of-21; 47.6 %), while also going 9-for-13 (69.2 %) at the free throw line to take an early lead.
McCall led West Chester in scoring in the first half with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and a 4-for-5 effort from the line. Dalen, who led West Chester in scoring in the 18-11 run with five points, finished the first half with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
After scoring 30 of its 51 first-half points from beyond the arc, Clarion slowed its production from deep a bit in the second half, making just five after going 2-for-6 from range through the first nine-and-a-half minutes of the half. Despite this slowed production from beyond the arc, Clarion mounted an impressive comeback after trailing by nine with under 12 minutes to play in regulation to post a 96-90 victory over West Chester on Sunday evening.
West Chester ended the game shooting 56.1 % (32-of-57) from the field, including a 4-for-14 (28.6 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 22-for-34 (64.7 %) at the free throw line.
Easter led Clarion in scoring with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 effort at the line, while Trey Nelson scored 17, along with 10 assists and eight rebounds, narrowly missing a triple-double. Nelson was 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 at the line.
Kendon Peebles and Gavin Cote finished with 14 and 16 points, respectively. Peebles scored seven of his 14 at the free throw line in the waning moments of regulation to help break the late tie and lift his charges to a six-point road victory.
West Chester ended the game with a 43-29 rebounding advantage, including an 18-15 lead in offensive rebounds, which led to a 28-16 lead in second-chance points and a 54-26 lead in points in the paint. William's 13 off the bench also helped the Golden Rams finish the night with a 27-17 lead in points off the bench.
Clarion finished the game with a 17-12 lead in turnovers and a corresponding 27-17 lead in points off turnovers, along with a 23-19 lead in points off the break.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action in 2026 at Indiana (Pa.) and Seton Hill on January 2 and 3 before opening East play at Mansfield on January 7. West Chester will not return home until January 10 against Shippensburg for an Alumni Day clash beginning at 4 p.m.
