West Chester vs Shepherd
Game Details: February 5 I 7:30 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 12-3 (W8)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Shepherd Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester avoided its first two-game losing streak since the first weekend of the season on Saturday with a 75-56 victory over Lock Haven. Led by 17 points from Elijah Allen and 15 from Davante Dennis, West Chester trailed for less than five minutes and opened up a commanding 19-point lead in the final moments of regulation to leave Thomas Field House with a victory. West Chester shot 42.0 % (29-of-69) from the field in the victory, including a 35.0 % (7-of-20) effort from three-point range and finished the game with three in double figures as Anthony McCall chipped in 12 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting.
Flock Talk
Elijah Allen has scored in double figures in 16 of his 20 games this year and led West Chester in scoring in 10 of those 16, including each of the last three, as the senior guard has helped WCU post a record of 8-2 in such games. Allen enters play on Wednesday night averaging 15.4 points per game, which remains the best on the team, while his 2.0 assists per game are third best on the squad. Josh Walker is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game, while his 7.7 rebounds per game (including a 12-rebound effort vs Lock Haven on Saturday) is first on the team. Dylan Blair continues to rank in the top five on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game and 4.4 assists per game, which is sixth-best in the PSAC entering the season's final month. West Chester enters play averaging 78.5 points per game on 43.1 % shooting from the field, including 32.2 % from beyond the arc. The Golden Rams also hold a 42.6-34.4 lead in rebounding, which remains seventh-best in Division II and second-best in the PSAC, including a 16.2 offensive rebound per game average, which is sixth best on the team.
Winning at Home
West Chester is on a 14-game home winning streak dating back to early February of last year, which is the longest in the PSAC and tied for fifth best in Division II men’s basketball.
Chasing the Legend
Head coach Damien Blair is just 2 wins away from his 300th win at WCU. When he reaches this milestone-he'll become the second WCU coach to do so, joining his coach and one of the two individuals the Hollinger Field House floor is named after-Dick DeLaney as the only MBB coaches to do so. DeLaney ended his career with 370 wins.
Crash the Glass
WCU is seventh in Division II in rebounding, averaging 42.6 rebounds per game, thanks in part to a 16.2 offensive rebounds per game,which is sixth best. West Chester is also 11th in DII in rebounding margin and is first in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+8.2). West Chester ranks second in the PSAC in rebounding & offensive rebounding.
Made in the Paint
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in 17-of-21 games. West Chester is unbeaten when finishing the game tied (IUP 34-34) or ahead of its foes in points in the paint. The lone three games in which West Chester has been outscored in the paint (West Liberty- 50-44, East Stroudsburg- 34-26, and Millersville- 46-20) the Golden Rams have lost all three.
Give us a Second Chance
West Chester has outscored its opponents in second-chance points in every game but four this season, entering play with a 348 (16.6)-200 (9.5) lead through 21 games.
The Second Unit
West Chester’s bench remains one of the stronger second units in the PSAC, entering play on Wednesday night averaging 24.3 points per game, which is fourth-best in the PSAC.
Series History
West Chester will look to run its winning streak against Shepherd to nine in a row on Wednesday night when the Rams visit Hollinger Field House for the second game of the season series against the Golden Rams. Currently, on an eight-game winning streak, West Chester has broken open a series that was once close at 4-3 and taken firm command of it with sweeps of the regular season series in each of the last two seasons with a pair of PSAC Tournament wins during that same time. The streak has not always been easy for West Chester as it includes an OT win at Shepherd last February and a pair of buzzer-beating wins over the Rams during the 2022-23 season.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd (14-7, 10-4) enters play looking to bounce back from a loss at the hands of East Stroudsburg on Saturday by a 71-70 final. The Rams held a seven-point lead at the half, but the visiting Warriors put together an excellent second half, outscoring their hosts 42-34 to escape West Virginia with a one-point victory. Shepherd shot 49.0 % from the field in the setback, including a 26.7 % effort from deep, hitting four threes, while also ending the game shooting 78.3 % at the line. Marcus Banks led the team in points, rebounding, and assists, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the setback. Graduate student Chase Paar leads Shepherd in scoring (13.2/g) and rebounds (7.7/g), while Marcus Banks is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game, while his 3.8 assists per game are first on the squad. As a team, Shepherd enters play averaging 67.5 points per game on 43.0 % shooting from the field and 30.9 % from beyond the arc while also outrebounding opponents by 39.1-32.6 (+6.5) margin on the year, which helps the Rams manage a 16.7-13.3 deficit in the turnover battle entering the final weeks of the regular season.
