WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) led all scorers with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a 12-for-14 effort from the free throw line as the West Chester University men's basketball team (6-1, 1-0) erased a halftime deficit to post an 81-72 victory over Pitt-Johnstown (5-3, 0-1) on Saturday afternoon.
West Chester trailed by as many as 11 in the second half but used a crucial 16-0 run early in the half to erase the deficit and never trailed again in a nine-point win over the visiting Mountain Cats.
West Chester shot north of 50 percent in both the first and second halves but shot a tremendous 62.5 % (15-for-24) from the field, including a 5-of-7 (71.4 %) effort from three-point range to shoot an even 50.0 % (5-of-10) from deep in the victory. West Chester was also 18-for-26 (69.2 %) from the free throw line, including an 11-for-14 (78.6 %) effort in the second half.
Rodriguez Jr. was one of three Golden Rams in double figures in the win as
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) and
Joe Sedora (York, Pa./Red Lion) each scored 12 points on 5-of-10 and 6-of-11 shooting, respectively. McCall also tied for the team lead in rebounding with five, while Rodriguez Jr. led West Chester in assists with five, along with two steals. Sedora led the team in steals with three.
Pitt-Johnstown enjoyed a red-hot start to the day offensively, shooting 64.0 % (16-of-25) from the field, including a 4-for-5 (80.0 %) effort from beyond the arc, which, after a last-second jumper by Nick Watts, allowed the Mountain Cats to take a 43-35 lead into the halftime break.
West Chester did not shoot poorly in the first half by any means, shooting 51.9 % (14-of-27) from the field, although the Golden Rams, led by 11 points from Rodriguez Jr., were 0-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
Jay Rose stretched the UPJ lead to 11 to start the second half when he improved the Mountain Cats to 5-for-6 from deep just under two minutes into the half.
West Chester countered with a 16-0 run over the next four minutes, beginning with an
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) layup before back-to-back threes by
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and
Xavier Vann (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) gave West Chester a 51-46 lead with under 14 minutes to play. West Chester forced three turnovers during this stretch and did not commit a turnover of its own as the team led for the first time since 11 minutes to play in the first half after a
Jaysean Williams (Bloomfield, CT/The Patrick School) layup.
Luke Boyd (Somerton, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) got his name on the scoring list with a pair of threes, which gave West Chester its largest lead of the game, eight points, with 4:25 to play in regulation.
Baden Forup countered with a driving layup with 4:04 to play before Boyd drilled his third three and second in the span of a minute to give West Chester a 73-64 lead. West Chester continued to lead down the stretch, holding a 79-70 lead with 45 seconds to play before leading 81-72 with 17 seconds left after a pair of free throws by Rodriguez Jr. as a part of his personal six-point run.
Pitt-Johnstown shot 54.0 % (27-of-50) from the field, including a 44.0 % (11-of-25) in the second half after its red-hot effort in the first 20 minutes to jump out to an early lead. After hitting its fifth three in six attempts to open the second half, UPJ did not make another three the remainder of the game, going 1-for-8 (12.5 %) in the second half, while also going just 6-for-14 (46.2 %) at the line to shoot 52.0 % (13-of-25) for the game.
Rose led the visitors in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including two makes from three-point territory.
West Chester ended the game with a 32-26 lead in rebounding, including a 12-10 lead on the offensive glass, which resulted in a 15-7 lead in second-chance points and a 42-40 lead in points in the paint.
West Chester also finished the game with a 23-22 lead in points off turnovers, a 15-6 lead in points off the break, and a 31-12 lead in points off the bench led by 12 from Sedora and a hard-charging nine from Boyd.
Up Next
West Chester will conclude its non-league slate at Jefferson on December 16 at 6 p.m. before returning home to host Gannon and Clarion on December 20 and 21 for its final home games of 2025.
