MANSFIELD, Pa.- Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) and
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) each eclipsed the 20-point plateau to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (9-4, 3-3) to a convincing 113-75 victory over Mansfield (1-11, 0-6) on Wednesday afternoon to open PSAC East play.
Moss led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting, while also going 4-for-7 at the free throw line. Rodriguez Jr, the reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week, continued his hot start to 2026 with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, along with six rebounds, four steals, and two assists.
With his 20 points on Wednesday afternoon, Rodriguez Jr. has now scored 75 points since the calendar turned to 2026, averaging 25.0 points per game through the first three games.
Today's win is the most points the Golden Rams have scored against a league foe since a 116-93 victory over Mansfield during the 1988-89 season. It is also tied for the most points West Chester has scored against a Division II foe since a 113-91 win over Lincoln in 2019-20. West Chester led by as many as 44 (111-67) in the dominant victory to open PSAC East play.
West Chester shot north of 50.0 % from the field in both halves, including a 60.5 % (23-of-38) effort in the second quarter to finish the game shooting 57.9 % (44-of-76) from the field, while also going 7-for-16 (43.8 %) from three-point land. The Golden Rams also shot 72.0 % (18-of-25) from the line.
Moss and Rodriguez Jr. were two of four Golden Rams in double figures as
Joe Sedora (York, Pa./Red Lion) and
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) joined them with 10 points each. McCall also led the team in assists with four.
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) nearly became the fourth Golden Ram starter in double figures, finishing with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with one make from beyond the arc, while also contributing three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
West Chester jumped out to a 25-9 lead in the first seven minutes of the game behind 10 early points from Moss.
Leading 27-9 with 11:50 to play in the first half, West Chester was off to a red-hot start offensively, shooting 61.1 % (11-of-18) from the field and 2-for-3 (66.7 %) from beyond the arc as the Golden Rams held an early 18-point lead.
Led by the perfect 5-for-5 start to the game from the field by Moss, West Chester continued to hold a comfortable lead, leading 35-15 with 7:11 to play after a made free throw by
Myles Grey (Reading, Pa./Reading).
This was the Golden Rams' final point until Moss hit a pair of free throws with 5:32 to play to spark a 6-0 Golden Ram run that stretched the lead to 41-20 before it extended again to 47-23 with 3:24 to play until halftime.
West Chester continued to dominate the first half, taking a 58-33 lead into the halftime break.
The Golden Rams shot 55.3 % (21-of-38) from the field in the first half, including a 4-for-10 (40.0 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 12-of-17 (70.6 %) at the free throw line.
In the second half, West Chester continued to dominate its hosts, hitting the 100-point plateau with just over five minutes to play as the Golden Rams led 100-61 with 5:02 remaining.
West Chester continued to control the contest down the stretch, coasting to a 113-75 victory over Mansfield on Wednesday afternoon.
JuJu Pagan led Mansfield in scoring with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field as the Mountaineers shot 49.0 % (24-of-49) from the field, including a 6-for-16 (37.5 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also shooting 55.3 % (21-of-38) from the line.
West Chester ended the game with a 43-19 rebounding advantage, including a 16-4 lead on the offensive glass, which translated into a 27-2 lead in second-chance points and a 66-32 lead in points in the paint.
The Golden Rams also won the turnover battle 19-15 and finished the game with a 22-11 lead in points off turnovers and a 27-20 lead in points off the break. Sedora led the second unit in scoring with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting as West Chester's bench outscored Mansfield's bench by a 48-37 margin. Sedora also finished second on the team in rebounding with five, trailing the Reading duo of Rodriguez Jr. and Grey, who grabbed six rebounds each.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at home against Shippensburg on Alumni Day, beginning at 4 p.m.
