EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- Riding a six-game winning streak, the West Chester University men's basketball team (14-4, 8-3) will put its winning streak to the test on Thursday night as the Golden Rams travel to East Stroudsburg (14-5, 8-4) to renew their rivalry with the Warriors inside Koehler Field House beginning at 7:30 p.m.
West Chester at East Stroudsburg
Game Details: January 29 I 7:30 P.M.
Location: Koehler Field House (East Stroudsburg, Pa.)
Series: 93-81
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Last Time Out
West Chester stretched its winning streak to six on Saturday afternoon with a 73-62 victory over a resilient Lock Haven squad. West Chester never trailed and led by as many as 14 late in the first half, but Lock Haven refused to go quietly, battling back and cutting the deficit to single digits down the stretch before West Chester closed out the road victory. West Chester shot 54.2 % (26-of-48) from the field after going 16-for-25 (64.0 %) from the floor in the first half and also shot 38.5 % (5-of-13) from three-point range and 16-for-21 (76.2 %) from the line.
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) led West Chester in scoring with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and a 7-for-10 effort at the line, while
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) scored 13 points each in the win.
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) narrowly missed his fourth double-double of the year as he finished with nine points and 12 rebounds, along with six assists.
Flock Talk
Winners of six in a row and seven of eight in 2026, the West Chester University men's basketball team enters play on Thursday averaging 87.8 points per game on 48.6 % shooting from the field and 33.4 % shooting from beyond the arc, along with a 69.3 % effort at the free-throw line. West Chester ranks 22
nd in Division II in scoring and 30th in the nation in field goal percentage, while also ranking among the leaders in rebounding, holding a +11.1 (41.3-30.2) lead on the year. West Chester also holds a 18.2-15.8 (+2.4) lead in the turnover battle, averaging 9.5 steals per game. This defensive effort has helped West Cheser limit opponents to 74.1 points per game on the year, including 44.8% from the field and 31.0% from beyond the arc.
Individually, Rodriguez Jr. leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game as the junior guard has scored in double figures in 16 of 18 games so far this season, while also leading the team in rebounding, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. McCall and Moss are second and third in scoring, averaging 13.7 and 12.3 points per game, while McCall is also second in rebounding, averaging 4.7 rebounds per game. Blair is third in rebounding, averaging 3.7 per game, and is first in assists, averaging 4.6 per game. The junior guard enters play averaging 9.8 points per game as well and has scored in double figures in each of the last four games, including a 16-point effort at Bloomsburg on January 15
th. Rodriguez Jr. also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.9 per game, while Blair and
Larenzo Jerkins (Chester, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) are tied for second, averaging 1.3 per game.
Superlative Central
West Chester is outscoring opponents in the paint (802-568), in second-chance points (320-174), and in points off turnovers (395-305) through the first 18 games of the season.
Sharp Shooters
West Chester is 7-1 when shooting north of 50 % from the field and has shot north of 55 % from the field in twice in its last four games.
The Second Unit
West Chester's bench is outscoring opponents 558-434 so far this season, averaging 31.0 points per game, which ranks third in the PSAC and 30th nationally. The Golden Ram bench has outscored the opposing bench 12 times in 18 games this season.
Second Chances
The Golden Rams are third in Division II in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 16.3, third in rebounding margin (+11.1), 14th in rebounding (41.3), and ninth in turnovers forced (18.2).
Series History
West Chester holds a 93-81 lead in the all-time series over East Stroudsburg after splitting the series last winter with a loss to the Warriors on the road before the Golden Rams earned a crucial 84-80 victory in Hollinger Field House. One of the oldest rivalries on the books for West Chester, the Golden Rams and Warriors have been battling against one another since March of 1927, when the series began with a 38-34 victory for ESU. West Chester heads to ESU on Thursday night in search of its first road win over the Warriors since an 86-81 victory in East Stroudsburg in 2023 that was part of a series sweep for the Golden Rams over the Warriors. West Chester has not swept the season series since the 2023 season, and that sweep was also the Golden Rams' first since the 2008-09 season.
So That's Where You Went
West Chester will match up against a familiar foe on Thursday night as
Saleem Payne transferred from WCU to East Stroudsburg over the summer and has been a member of the Warriors' starting five for much of the season. The junior guard has started in eight of the last nine games for the Warriors and enters play on Thursday, averaging 4.5 points, 2.4 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game on 36.2 % (21-of-58) shooting from the field, including eight made three's.
Scouting ESU
East Stroudsburg improved to 14-5 overall and 8-5 in league play with an 87-73 victory over Kutztown on Tuesday night in Keystone Arena. ESU jumped out to a five-point (33-28) lead at the half and outscored its hosts by nine (54-45) in the second half after shooting 48.4 % (15-of-31) from the field in the second half and going 21-for-27 (77.8 %) at the line to finish off the PSAC East victory. This second-half effort by ESU allowed the Warriors to finish the game shooting 43.3 % (26-of-60) from the field, including a 31.8 % (7-for-22) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 28-for-37 (75.7 %) at the line. Adrian Brito led the team in scoring with 16 points and was one of five Warriors in double figures as Ethan Maynard and Nasir Griffin led the starting five in scoring with 12 and 11 points each. Terrell Pitts and Keni Williams finished with 14 and 12 points each off the bench alongside Brito.
East Stroudsburg enters play on Thursday averaging 89.1 points per game on 47.2 % shooting from the field and 34.9 % shooting from beyond the arc, along with a 39.6-33.1 lead in rebounding and a +2.8 (18.1-15.3) lead in turnovers. The Warriors' opponents average 78.7 points per game on 48.1% shooting from the field and 33.2% from beyond the arc.
Individually, Brito leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game, while Maynard and Griffin are second and third, averaging 11.5 and 10.2, respectively. Jalen Pichardo is first on the team in rebounding, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game, while Williams is first in assists, averaging 3.4 assists per game.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against Mansfield, beginning at 3 p.m., before hosting Millersville on Monday, February 2, at 7:30 in Hollinger in a rescheduled game from Tuesday.
