Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – In a game that was closer than the final score indicated, the West Chester University men’s basketball team fought off a tough Mansfield squad, 92-79, in a PSAC contest inside Hollinger Field House Wednesday.
West Chester (10-9, 7-8 PSAC) still holds a two-game lead over Millersville for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Division. Mansfield (7-12, 4-11) fell three games back of the Golden Rams and slipped into sixth place as a result of Millersville’s win over first-place Bloomsburg.
The Golden Ram’s shot a strong 53.3 percent from the field and an even more impressive 50 percent from behind the 3-point arc. West Chester’s Jon Breedon and Corey Blake led the Golden Rams with 21 points each. Lance McDowell recorded his third straight double-double with 11 total rebounds and 17 points. For the Marauders, freshman Joe Bell scored a game-high 30 points, to go along with eight rebounds.
The freshmen on display at Hollinger were very impressive and went at it head-to-head on many occasions. Bell and Blake showed why they will be exciting to watch over the next four years.
The Golden Rams led early and often, displaying the touch from the 3-point line, as well as the physical toughness inside. West Chester took a 52-43 lead into the half, and it looked as if the Rams might run away with the contest early in the second. Mansfiel, however, had other ideas. They had spun off a 12-3 run to close the gap to four (65-61) with 13:36 remaining, and then a run of 11-4 gave the Mountaineers a 72-71 lead with 7:25 left in the game – their first lead of the game since seven minutes into the tilt.
West Chester showed resilience and grit to withstand these two runs and put together a crucial run of its own (8-1) punctuated by a demonstrative Corey Blake two-handed jam to bring the crowd to its feet. The Golden Rams then closed out the game and took care of the very tough Marauders.
The two teams were not separated by much, with the stats in the rebounding, turnover, and assist columns fairly even.
West Chester will next play this Saturday against Millersville at 4 p.m. at Hollinger Field House.
