WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Winners of five of six to open 2026, including four straight to open PSAC East play, the West Chester University men's basketball team (12-4, 6-3) is set to return to action in Hollinger Field House against Shepherd (9-7, 5-4) in the latest chapter of the rivalry between the Golden Rams and Rams with opening tip set for 7:30 in Hollinger Field House.
West Chester vs Shepherd
Game Details: January 21 I 7:30 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 13-3
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Last Time Out
West Chester extended its winning streak to four in a row on Thursday night with an 88-55 thrashing of Bloomsburg inside Nelson Field House to remain unbeaten in PSAC East play. West Chester led for 38 of the 40 minutes played on Thursday and led by as many as 35 with under two minutes to play en route to the dominant 33-point road triumph.
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) led all scorers with 20 points, including 12 makes at the free throw line, while
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) added 16 of his own on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including two makes from beyond the arc, along with 13 points and 10 rebounds from
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) as the junior picked up yet another double-double. West Chester shot a solid 41.5 % (27-of-65) from the field, including a 6-for-18 (33.3 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 28-for-39 (71.8 %) at the free throw line as the Golden Rams improved to 6-2 in games played away from the familiar confines of Hollinger Field House.
Flock Talk
West Chester enters play averaging 89.2 points per game on 48.3 % shooting from the field, including a 32.8 % effort from beyond the arc, while also shooting 68.2 % at the free throw line. One of the top rebounding teams in Division II (ranked eighth in rebounding/second in offensive rebounding - 17.4/g), West Chester holds a 42.9-30.9 lead in rebounding, which is the third-best rebounding margin in Division II. Averaging 16.6 points per game since the beginning of 2026, Rodriguez Jr. is first on the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game, while also leading the team in rebounding, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) is is second in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game, while also ranking second in rebounding, averaging 5.0 rebounds per game. Blair is first on the team in assists, averaging 4.2 helpers per game, followed by Rodriguez Jr. and his 3.7 per game.
Second Chances
The Golden Rams are second in Division II in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 17.4, third in rebounding margin (+12.0), eighth in rebounding (42.9), and eighth in turnovers forced (18.8).
Comeback Kids
West Chester is 4-3 this season when trailing at the half, including a comeback victory at Indiana (Pa.) on January 2 for the Golden Rams' first road win over the Crimson Hawks since November 2015.
Superlative Central
West Chester is outscoring opponents in the paint (734-506), in second-chance points (309-164), and in points off turnovers (355-281) through the first 16 games of the season.
The Second Unit
West Chester's bench is outscoring opponents 516-394 so far this season, averaging 32.3 points per game, which is third best in the PSAC and 24th best nationally.
Home Sweet Home
Despite a pair of home losses to conclude 2025, West Chester has been remarkably difficult to beat at home in recent years, posting a record of 66-17 (.795) in Hollinger since 2019-20, including a record of 20-3 at home over the last two seasons after an unbeaten regular season at home last Winter.
Series History
West Chester enters play on Wednesday night looking for its 10th win in a row in a series that the Golden Rams lead 13-3. While West Chester does hold a comfortable lead in the series, recent history has been anything but lopsided as the Golden Rams have won just two games during this streak by 10 or more points, including an 82-72 win in West Chester in January 2024 and a 70-57 win in February 2022. Outside of these two wins, West Chester and Shepherd have been separated by just a point on two separate occasions, and the Golden Rams needed overtime to leave Shepherdstown with a win in February 2024. West Chester swept the series last year with a 55-47 win in Shepherdstown and a 57-49 win in West Chester. The Golden Rams have never lost to Shepherd at home and have not lost to the Rams since January 2022, when the Rams earned a 70-65 victory over the Purple and Gold.
Scouting Shepherd
Led by 22 points from Colby White as one of six Rams in double figures, Shepherd shot a blistering 57.4 % (39-of-68) from the field, including a 14-for-26 (53.8 %) effort from beyond the arc to coast to a 95-67 victory over Mansfield on Saturday afternoon in West Virginia. This win, which saw the Rams jump out to a 50-26 lead at the half, halted a brief two-game PSAC East losing streak and improved the Rams to 5-4 in league action, and 2-2 in PSAC East play after opening East play with a 96-75 win over Lock Haven at home on January 7.
Shepherd enters play on Wednesday averaging 73.4 points per game on 45.5 % shooting from the field and 36.1 % shooting from three-point range, while also shooting 68.9 % from the free throw line, along with a 37.8-34.6 advantage in rebounding. The Rams do trail 11.6-8.7 in turnovers, averaging just 9.2 points per game off turnovers. Shepherd's opponents enter play averaging 72.1 points per game on 43.3 % shooting from the field and 32.6 % shooting from three-point territory. Marcus Banks is first on the team in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game, while Elwyne Worldaw is second, averaging 15.6 points per game of his own. Banks is also first on the team in assists (4.8/g) and steals (1.9/g), while Favor Okigweh leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, followed by Banks and his 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Up Next
West Chester will head back out on the road on Saturday to take on Lock Haven at 1 p.m. before returning home on Tuesday, January 27, to take on Millersville at 5:30 before visiting East Stroudsburg on January 29 for its final road game of January. After this road trip to the Poconos, West Chester will conclude its January slate and begin the second half of PSAC East play on Saturday, January 31, against Mansfield, starting at 1 p.m.
