WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Likely in need of a win to ensure that its 2025-26 season would continue into the NCAA Tournament, the West Chester University men's basketball team (21-8) fell to Indiana (Pa.) (22-6) by a 71-70 final in the PSAC Quarterfinals in Hollinger Field House on Wednesday night.
The Golden Rams led by as many as 10 in the first half in a game that featured seven ties and 11 lead changes before falling victim to a late Crimson Hawk run as the visitors escaped Hollinger with a narrow one-point victory.
West Chester led by three with under 40 seconds to play, but Christian Moore hit a clutch three with 36 seconds to play, and Dallis Dillard made a late free throw to give IUP a 71-70 lead with under 10 seconds to play. West Chester quickly called a timeout and had a handful of looks at a potential game-winning shot, but the Crimson Hawk defense played their best when it mattered most to deny the homestanding Golden Rams their first PSAC Semifinal appearance since 2019.
The Golden Rams led for much of the first half, holding a 10-point lead with 6:24 to play and by nine with 3:01 to play after a
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) three before the Crimson Hawks closed the first half on an 11-2 run, including a buzzer-beating three to cut the Golden Ram lead to 34-33 heading into the halftime break.
West Chester shot 38.2 % (13-of-34) from the field in the first half, including a 1-for-11 effort from three-point range, while also going 7-for-10 (70.0 %) at the line.
IUP, led by nine first-half points from Ian Herring, shot an identical 38.2 % (13-of-34) from the field but was 6-for-14 (42.9 %) from beyond the arc and limited to just one free throw in the first half to trail by one heading into the break.
Just over five minutes into the second half, Tyler Grove hit a pull-up jumper, which cut the West Chester lead to 45-43, but the Golden Rams responded with a 5-0 run to take a 50-43 lead and led 53-46 with 11:48 to play in regulation.
IUP continued its comeback bid and snuck out to a 57-56 lead with 8:15 to play, which prompted a Golden Ram timeout. Blair hit a clutch layup in the lane with his back to the basket as the shot clock expired to take a 58-57 lead with 7:48 remaining. Still, the two sides traded makes over the next few minutes, and IUP held a 64-62 lead with five minutes to play after an Ian Herring driving layup to cap a 4-0 run.
Dinari Boykin (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) hit what for the moment appeared as if it may have been a dagger three with 2:21 to play, which gave West Chester a 68-66 lead.
The Golden Rams continued to lead with under a minute to play, stretching their lead to 70-67 with 54 seconds to play before Christian Moore hit a huge three with 36 seconds remaining to tie the score at 70-70.
Dallis Dillard gave IUP its final lead of the game with under 10 seconds to play when he went 1-for-2 at the line to give the Crimson Hawks a 71-70 lead.
West Chester had the ball in the front court with eight seconds remaining and had a handful of shots to win the game in the waning seconds, including a wing three with just over a second to play from
Luke Boyd (Somerton, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), which was rejected. The ball landed in the stands with, after video review, .9 seconds to play in regulation, and West Chester attempted to lob the ball toward the basket on the ensuing inbounds play, but the chance was broken up, which allowed the Crimson Hawks to escape Hollinger with a one-point victory.
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) led all scorers on Wednesday night with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and an 8-for-13 effort at the free throw line, along with eight rebounds as one of three Golden Rams in double figures.
Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, Pa./ANC) finished with 17 points, while Blair added 12 of his own in the Quarterfinal setback.
West Chester shot just 33.9 % (20-of-59) from the field in the loss, including a 7-for-25 (28.0 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 28-for-36 (77.8 %) at the free throw line, including a 21-for-26 (80.8 %) effort at the free throw line in the second half.
Playing their third game in five days, IUP shook off a slow start offensively and shot 43.3 % (26-of-60) from the field, including a 50.0 % (13-for-26) from the field in the second half, while also going 8-for-19 (42.1 %) from three-point range, along with an 11-for-15 (73.3 %) effort from the free throw line. The Crimson Hawks were 10-for-14 at the line in the second half as they outscored West Chester 38-36 in the second half.
Christian Moore led IUP in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Dallis Dillard added 15, along with 13 from Ian Herring and 13 more from Luke Triggs. Dillard also came away with 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Christian Moore led the team in assists with five. Triggs led all bench players in scoring as his 13 points came on 5-of-8 shooting and helped the Crimson Hawk bench outscore the Golden Ram bench 17-14.
West Chester finished the game with a 44-35 rebounding advantage, including a 20-12 lead on the offensive glass, resulting in a 22-12 lead in second-chance points and a 32-28 lead in points in the paint.
Tonight's loss extends West Chester's PSAC Semifinal drought as the Golden Rams continue to search for their first PSAC Semifinal appearance since 2019. West Chester will await the official NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Selection Show on NCAA.com on Sunday night at 11 p.m. for final word on if its season will continue into the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row when play begins next week.
