WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and a 6-for-6 effort at the line to lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (18-6, 12-5) to an 88-59 victory over Bloomsburg (6-17, 3-13) on Wednesday night.
West Chester never trailed and was scoreless for only the first 10 seconds as the team led by as many as 31 with 14:55 to play after a 14-0 run, which began late in the first half and carried into the opening minutes of the second half.
Rodriguez Jr. finished just four points shy of matching his career-high of 26 in Hollinger Field House, which he set against Pitt-Johnstown earlier this year.
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) and
Jaysean Williams (Bloomfield, Ct./The Patrick School) joined him in double figures with 13 and 12, respectively. Blair led the team in assists with five, while
Dinari Boykin (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) led West Chester in rebounding with five rebounds.
West Chester shot north of 50.0 % in both the first and second half and finished the game shooting 52.5 % (31-of-59) from the field, including a 47.1 % (8-of-17) from three-point range, while also going 18-for-26 (69.2 %) at the line. West Chester shot north of 50.0 % in a game for the 13
th time this season and improved to 10-2 in such games in the process.
West Chester jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead and wasted little time stretching its lead to 20-6 after a 9-0 run, which saw the team shoot 4-for-7 from the field to take a commanding 14-point lead.
West Chester led 34-19 with 4:34 to play before Bloomsburg went on a 5-0 run in the span of just over 30 seconds to prompt a West Chester timeout with the lead cut to 10 (34-24). The timeout did its job as West Chester responded with a 6-0 run to take a 40-24 lead with 3:08 to play in the first half before carrying a 48-21 lead into the halftime break after a
Xavier Vann (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) with 15 seconds remaining in the first half.
West Chester shot 55.2 % (16-of-29) from the field, including a 3-for-4 (75.0 %) effort from three-point range, while also going 13-for-16 (81.3 %) at the line, as Rodriguez Jr. led the Golden Rams in scoring with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a 6-for-6 effort at the line.
Bloomsburg shot just 43.5 % (10-of-23) from the field, including a 27.3 % (3-for-11) from three-point range, while also going 4-for-8 (50.0 %) at the line through the first 20 minutes.
West Chester led by 31 just over five minutes into the second half and held a 30-point lead with 11:39 remaining as the game hit its under-12 media timeout.
West Chester maintained a convincing lead throughout the remainder of the second half as the Golden Rams cruised to an 88-59 victory over Bloomsburg in Hollinger Field House on Wednesday night.
Bloomsburg was led by 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from Kodi Johnson as the Huskies shot 42.6 % (20-of-47) as a team and 35.3 % (6-for-17) from three-point range, while also going 13-for-21 (61.9 %) at the line.
West Chester finished the game with a 32-30 lead in rebounding, including an 11-10 lead on the offensive glass, which resulted in a 15-8 lead in second-chance points and a 36-22 lead in points in the paint. West Chester also won the turnover battle by a 27-12 margin and finished the game with a 45-10 lead in points off turnovers and an 18-6 lead in points off the break.
Tonight's win also improved West Chester to 69-18 at home since 2019-20 and 23-4 at home in the last two seasons after going unbeaten in Hollinger last winter.
It is rare that a 29-point win becomes secondary but for at least a few minutes on Wednesday night the game and the ongoing race for the top spot in the PSAC East was the second story in Hollinger as West Chester paused at halftime to tell 16-year old patient Ruby that WCU Athletics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation would be granting her wish and sending her and her family to Hawaii. The Golden Rams were fortunate to grant a Wish to a deserving child and their family for the second year in a row in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as the West Chester Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) raised enough funds during last year's fundraising cycle.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action next Wednesday at Shepherd beginning at 7:30 p.m.
