West Chester vs Millersville
Game Details: March 5 I 7:00 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch I Tickets
Series: 107-105
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Ville Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester matched its single-season win record on Saturday afternoon with an 85-68 victory over Kutztown behind a team-season best and career-high 30 points from Anthony McCall. West Chester closed the first half on a 20-7 run to carry a 46-28 lead into the halftime break and never looked back in the 85-68 victory over the Golden Bears. West Chester shot 51.4 % from the field in the first half and 49.3 % (33-of-67) for the game, while going 4-for-15 (26.7 %) from three-point range and 15-for-19 (78.9 %) at the line.
We Are Honored
Anthony McCall was named the final PSAC East Athlete of the Week of 2024-25 after his 30-point effort in the victory over Kutztown on Saturday. This set a new career high for him and is the most points by a Golden Ram in a single game since Robert Smith scored 31 at Shepherd on 2/7/24.
Follow His Lead
Elijah Allen has scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games and led the team in scoring in 13 of those 22 games, leading WCU to an 11-2 record in such games. This includes his 20 points and eight rebounds in the win over Millersville last Wednesday night.
Home Cooking
West Chester will also be looking to remain unbeaten at home this season, entering play a perfect 14-0 in Hollinger in the midst of an 18-game home winning streak, which is the best in the PSAC and fourth best in Division II men’s basketball.
Blair in the PSAC Tournament
Head coach Damien Blair is 12-13 in PSAC Tournament games entering play on Wednesday night. Blair enters Wednesday night looking for his first Conference semifinal appearance since 2019 as the Golden Rams search for their fourth PSAC Championship game appearance under Blair and what would be the first since the 2015-16 season when the team finished the year with a record of 23-7.
Remarkable Consistency
Blair, who won his 300th game as the Golden Rams head coach earlier this season on Senior Day against Mansfield, has endured only one losing season in his tenure at the helm of the Golden Rams, the 2016-17 season when the team finished the regular season 13-14 overall before going on the road to defeat Bloomsburg and falling to Kutztown in the Quarterfinals to end the year at 14-15 overall. Blair has led West Chester to the PSAC Tournament in each of the last 12 competitive seasons (excluding the COVID-19 Pandemic when WCU did not play a season) and 13 times in 15 years.
Chasing Another Record
WCU is just one win shy of setting a new program record for wins in a single season after picking up its record-tying 23rd win of the year on Saturday at Kutztown. West Chester has won 23 games in a single season twice, doing so first in 1998-99 before duplicating this effort in 2015-16.
Give Us a Second Chance
West Chester has outscored its opponents in second-chance points in every game but five this season, entering play with a 450 (16.1)-273 (9.8) lead through 28 games.
Made in the Paint
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in 19-of-28 games. West Chester is unbeaten when finishing the game tied (IUP 34-34, Mansfield 34-34) or ahead of its foes in points in the paint. WCU is 3-4 when being outscored in the paint (West Liberty 50-44, ESU 34-26, Millersville 46-20, Shepherd 22-26, Shippensburg 40-22, Bloomsburg 34-38, Millersville 36-40) with its wins coming vs Shepherd, at Bloomsburg, and at home vs Millersville a week ago.
The Second Unit
West Chester's bench remains fourth in the PSAC in scoring, averaging 25.0 points per game through 28 games. The WCU bench has outscored the opposing bench in 19 of 28 games this season, including a 42-31 advantage over No. 17 West Liberty in the season opener.
Crashing the Glass
Led by 7.1 rebounds per game by Joshua Walker, WCU is seventh in Division II in rebounding, averaging 42.5 rebounds per game, thanks in part to 16.6 offensive rebounds per game, which is second best. West Chester is 7th in DII in rebounding margin and first in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+8.4). West Chester also ranks second in the PSAC in rebounding (trailing only Gannon) & first in offensive rebounding.
It’s been 19 Years
With its comeback victory over Millersville last Wednesday night, West Chester secured its first outright PSAC East Regular season crown since 2006. West Chester won a share of the Eastern Division crown during the 2022-23 season before falling to East Stroudsburg at home in the PSAC Quarterfinals.
NCAA Aspirations
West Chester was fifth in the second Atlantic Regional rankings of the year released by the Division II Men's Basketball committee last week. West Chester trailed West Liberty, Gannon, Fayetteville State, and ESU. A final set of rankings will be released on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of Selection Sunday.
Series History
Wednesday night will be the latest chapter in one of the oldest rivalries in the PSAC as West Chester and Millersville clash for the 213th time and the second time in two weeks, with the Golden Rams holding a slim 107-105 lead over the Marauders. This lead has shrunk considerably in recent years as the Marauders are on a three-game winning streak and have won seven of the last 10. West Chester avoided its first back-to-back season sweep to Millersville since the 1992-95 seasons when the Marauders won seven straight. West Chester is 2-2 vs Millersville all-time in the PSAC Tournament and is 1-1 under head coach Damien Blair.
Last Time They Met
Last Wednesday night, West Chester shot 47.1 % (16-for-34) from the field in the second half to erase a first-half deficit and pick up its 22nd win of the season, which is tied with the 2017-18 and 2018-19 teams for the second most wins under head coach Damien Blair. West Chester trailed for much of the first half and by as many as 14 in the second half but used a 26-7 run midway through the second half to earn a 75-70 victory over the Marauders. West Chester was 10-for-19 (52.6 %) from the field during this run, including a 2-for-5 effort from deep, while forcing turnovers, including seven big steals to erase the early deficit. Elijah Allen (Dover, Del/Dover) led West Chester in scoring for the 13th time in 20 games, while Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) scored 14 points, including 12 in the second half to help lead the comeback. West Chester ended the game shooting 37.3 % (25-of-67) from the field, including 25.0 % (-of-16) from three-point range, while also going 21-for-26 (80.8 %).
Scouting Millersville
Facing one of the hottest teams in the league in fifth-seeded Lock Haven on Monday night, Millersville played outstanding defense for 40 minutes and used a big run midway through the second half to post a 78-52 victory and advance to the PSAC Quarterfinals. When Millersville visits West Chester on Monday night, it’ll be the Marauders third postseason game in Hollinger all-time and first since 2013. The Marauders are 1-1 in postseason play in Hollinger, with their lone victory coming in 2005 en route to a PSAC Championship game appearance. Leading 31-22 at the half, Millersville saw its lead cut to 35-30 early in the second half but responded well, holding Lock Haven scoreless for the next eight minutes and stretching its lead to 54-30 in the process. Led by 20 points and 11 rebounds from Drew Stover, along with a pair of 16-point performances by Jahme Ested and Aiden Gair, Millersville cruised to the 26-point triumph. The Marauders shot 43.1 % (25-of-58) from the field, including 33.3 % (8-of-24) from three-point range, while also going 20-for-26 (76.9 %) at the free throw line. Coming off a road victory over East Stroudsburg on Saturday, Lock Haven struggled with the Marauder defense throughout the night, hitting just 27.4 % (20-of-73) from the field, including a 2-for-21 (9.5 %) effort from three-point territory. Isaiah Stewart was the lone Bald Eagle in double figures, finishing with 10 points in the setback.
For the season, Millersville enters play averaging 81.9 points per game on 49.0 % shooting from the field and 31.1 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 73.3 % from the line. The Marauders also hold a 38.2-33.0 lead in rebounding and a 14.5-14.9 lead in turnovers, thanks in part to an average of 8.4 steals per game. The Marauders opponents average 72.6 points per game on 43.1 % shooting from the field and 32.0 % from beyond the arc, while also averaging 13.2 makes per game at the free throw line. Millersville ranks fourth in the league in scoring, while the Marauders +9.3 scoring margin is third best in the league and second best in the East, trailing only East Stroudsburg. The Marauders will need to find a way to overcome the Golden Ram defense, which is second best in the PSAC, allowing an average of just 71.8 points per game at the end of the regular season.
Millersville has been tough to beat at home this season, improving to 13-3 in Pucillo Gymnasium with its win last night; however, the Marauders have struggled away from home, going just 5-8 in road games, including a mark of 1-3 in their last four.
Individually, Stover leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while Saraj Ali is second, averaging 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Jahme Ested is first on the team in assists, averaging 3.9 per game, while also leading the team in steals, averaging 1.4 per game.
With a Win
With a win on Wednesday night, West Chester would earn hosting rights for the PSAC Championship weekend in Hollinger beginning with the Semifinals on Saturday, 3/8 at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
