Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
BOUNCE BACK
Golden Rams trounce Cheyney following huge loss
WEST CHESTER >> What happens when a movable object meets a stoppable force? We found out on Saturday afternoon at Hollinger Field House in basketball clash between West Chester and Cheyney – a pair of struggling men’s teams desperately searching for some momentum.
Tangling for the first of two regular season meetings, it was the shorthanded Golden Rams who pulled away late for a muchneeded 93-74 PSAC East victory. West Chester was coming off the program’s worst loss in 47 years: a 42-point wipeout at nationallyranked Shippensburg on Wednesday. The last-place Wolves came in riding a six-game losing skid, and now have just one win in 15 tries.
“It’s slowly coming together, but not as fast as I would like,” said WCU head coach Damien Blair.
“We played about as bad as we could against Shippensburg,” added freshman Zach Bare. “We did better defensively and we made some shots in the second half.”
Three veterans WCU’s playing rotation did not dress for the game, including leading scorer Malik Jackson (shoulder), Jackson Hyland (concussion) and
Mike Joloaso (stress fracture). But when West Chester made what turned out to be the difference-making rally late in the second half, it had three freshmen, a transfer and one veteran on the floor.
“Those kids can play – they just don’t necessarily play our way,” Blair said. “As soon as they start doing that, I think we can be very effective.”
Bare and fellow rookie Dashon Giddings were key figures in the triumph. Giddings and transfer Ryan Skovranko buried backto-back 3-pointers as the Rams opened a 77-65 lead with less than six minutes on the clock. In all, West Chester outscored the reeling Wolves 22-9 in the final seven minutes of play.
“I’ve seen that kind of stretch from this group before,” Blair said. “When you start making shots, attacking the basket and finishing, it can demoralize teams. That might have happened.
“(Cheyney) is not a bad team. They are fighting.”
With an eye towards a top-six divisional finish and a berth in the conference playoffs, WCU remains in a tie for fourth place at 5-6 (7-9 overall). The Wolves fall to 1-10, 1-14.
“Confidence plays a major role,” said Cheyney’s ‘acting’ head coach, Dawud Morris. “Part of my job is to make sure my guys play with it.
“Regardless of the record, we still have a season to play. I am asking these guys to stay upbeat, and we are going to have to play that way if we want to compete. If I’m not instilling confidence in our guys, we will not be able to compete.”
The score was tied five times and there were six lead changes. The Rams led by as much as nine in the first half, but CU outscored West Chester 24-11 to end the first half in front 39-33.
Clinging to a 66-63 lead, the Rams scored 11 of the next 13 points, and got seven of them from junior Tyrell Long, who wound up scoring a career-high 26 points, adding nine boards and six assists.
“In that spurt, everybody hit a shot, and as soon as that happens, it’s like an infusion of confidence for everybody,” Blair explained. “We got rolling a little. I think that’s what we could be.”
Bare finished with 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and Giddings chipped in with 11 points. Point guard Matt Penecale was in and out of foul trouble, but still scored 11, dished out nine assists and grabbed four steals.
“We expected Zach to come in and give us some offensive firepower. His issues have been on the defensive end,” Blair pointed out.
“We really needed this win,” added Bare, who hails from Brooklandville, Md. “If guys go down, you just hope to get a chance and take advantage of it.
“It’s taking a little longer than we’d hoped, but this is a young team and we have a lot of room to grow. I think we are getting there.”
Imir Bailey came off the bench to lead Cheyney with 17 points, Mike Mohamed (13), Rafiq Marshall (12) and Craig McGlond (11) also chipped in offensively. The Wolves, however, were outrebounded 47-32, and WCU shot a toasty 56 percent from the field in the second half.
“Lack of communication on the defensive end – as far as getting out on shooters – hurt us,” Moore said.