BLOOMSBURG, Pa.-Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) led all scorers with 20 points, scoring 12 of his 20 at the free throw line as he helped lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (12-4, 6-3) to an 88-55 victory over Bloomsburg (4-11, 1-7) in Nelson Field House on Thursday night.
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) joined Moss in double figures with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-4 effort from three-point range and a 4-for-4 effort at the line, along with seven rebounds and a team-best six assists.
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) picked up yet another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, along with four assists and a pair of steals.
West Chester never trailed and led for 38 of the 40 minutes on Thursday, stretching its lead to as many as 35 with under two minutes to play en route to a dominant 33-point road triumph.
West Chester shot 41.5 % (27-of-65) from the field, including a 6-for-18 (33.3 %) effort from beyond the arc and a 28-for-39 (71.8 %) shooting performance at the free throw line.
West Chester jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game before holding a 19-13 lead with just under 10 minutes to play.
Blair hit a step back with 9:06 to play until halftime, which extended the lead to 21-13.
The Golden Rams continued to control the first half, carrying a 43-22 lead into the halftime break after Blair hit a pair of free throws to finish the first half with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the line.
West Chester shot 37.1 % (13-of-35) from the field in the first half, including a 3-for-11 (27.3 %) effort from beyond the arc. West Chester also went 14-for-17 (82.4 %) at the line in the first 20 minutes of action.
The Golden Rams stretched their lead to 28 just three minutes into the second half when
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) went 1-for-2 at the line to stretch the lead to 54-26. West Chester continued to dominate down the stretch of the second half, leading by as many as 35 with 1:14 to play en route to an 88-55 victory over Bloomsburg.
Bloomsburg shot just 29.1 % (16-of-55) from the field and 12.5 % (3-of-24) from three-point range, while also going 20-for-26 (76.9 %) from the line. Chase Smucker led Bloomsburg in scoring with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including three makes from beyond the arc.
West Chester finished the game with a 52-31 rebounding advantage, including a 16-4 edge on the offensive glass, which translated into an 11-6 lead in second-chance points and a 36-20 lead in points in the paint.
West Chester also finished the game with a 16-10 lead in turnovers, resulting in seven points off turnovers in the wire-to-wire victory.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action at home on Wednesday night against Shepherd, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
