WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) scored 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the line as the West Chester University men's basketball team (13-4, 7-3) earned a hard-fought 80-73 victory over Shepherd (9-8, 5-5) in Hollinger Field House on Wednesday night.
Rodriguez Jr. was one of three Golden Rams in double figures as
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) scored 13 points each to help lead West Chester past a hot-shooting Shepherd team on Wednesday night by an 80-73 final. Rodriguez Jr. also led West Chester in rebounding with six, along with eight assists, while Blair finished the game with a team-best nine assists.
Despite facing a Shepherd squad that shot 60.0 % (30-of-50) from the field and 7-for-17 (41.2 %) from three-point range, West Chester never trailed by more than a basket and led by as many as 11 en route to an 80-73 victory over the visiting Rams.
A 10-0 run midway through the second half, led by seven points from
Larenzo Jerkins (Chester, Pa./Neumann Goretti) as a part of his team-high nine points off the bench, which erased an early two-point deficit in a seven-point victory.
West Chester shot 50.9 % (28-of-55) from the field in the victory, while also shooting 7-for-17 (41.2 %) from three-point range and also going 17-for-20 (85.0 %) at the free-throw line, including a 10-for-12 (83.3 %) effort from the line in the second half.
The first half was close early, featuring eight lead changes and a tie, but West Chester stretched its lead to as many as 10 with four minutes to play, holding a slim 40-36 lead at halftime.
Williams and McCall tied for the team lead in scoring with nine points each as the Golden Rams shot an even 50.0 % (15-of-30) from the field, while also going 3-for-8 (37.5 %) from three-point range, and 7-for-8 (87.5 %) at the free throw line.
Marcus Banks led Shepherd in scoring with 10points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and a 3-for-4 effort at the line as the Rams shot 60.9 % (14-of-23) from the field and 4-for-8 (50.0 %) from three-point range, while also going 4-for-9 (44.4 %) at the line.
West Chester ended the first half with a 14-12 lead in rebounding, including a 5-2 lead in offensive rebounding, which resulted in a 2-0 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also finished the first half with a 20-24 lead in points in the paint and a 19-6 lead in points off turnovers, as the Golden Rams also finished the game with a 10-7 lead in turnovers.
Trailing 47-45 early in the second half, West Chester countered with a 10-0 run led by seven points from Jerkins and punctuated by a three-pointer by Blair, which gave West Chester a 55-47 lead with 13:45 to play.
Shepherd countered with a 10-4 run to cut the West Chester lead to 59-57 with nine minutes to play before the Golden Rams answered with another 10-2 run led by four points each from McCall and Rodriguez Jr. to take a 69-59 lead with just under four minutes to play. West Chester held Shepherd scoreless for over five minutes during this run to seize control of the game down the stretch of the second half.
With 1:51 to play, Blair hit a three, which gave West Chester a 74-63 lead with 1:51 to play, which was its largest lead of the game. An Elwyne Wordlaw three helped Shepherd outscore West Chester 10-6 in the final minutes of the game, but it was not enough to help the visiting Rams escape Hollinger with a victory as West Chester earned an 80-73 victory.
Wordlaw led Shepherd and all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and a 4-for-8 effort from beyond the arc. Marcus Banks joined Wordlaw in double figures with 15 points, while also leading the team in rebounding with seven.
Shepherd ended the game with a 27-25 lead in rebounding, although West Chester finished the game with a 6-4 lead in second-chance points. West Chester finished the night with a 20-13 lead in turnovers and a 29-10 lead in points off turnovers, along with an 11-7 lead in points off the break.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday against Lock Haven, beginning at 3 p.m.
