Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
SCATTERED SHOT
Despite shooting woes, West Chester knocks off Mercyhurst
WEST CHESTER » If it was difficult to watch for the spectators at Hollinger Field House (which it most certainly was), you can just imagine what it was like for head coach Damien Blair.
One of less than a dozen Division II basketball programs nationwide who are still unbeaten, the West Chester men put on a shooting performance that threatened to set the game back a century. But buoyed by a huge last-minute shot from a very unlikely source, the Golden Rams held on to edge Mercyhurst, 5850, and improve to 8-0.
“It’s all about the culture of winning,” said junior forward Miko Jenkins. “We just feed off of each other and no matter what happens we want to find a way.”
On Saturday, it was Jenkins’ turn to be the hero, and the 6-foot-8 Harrisburg native came through in glorious fashion. Clinging to a one-point lead with 59.1 seconds on the game clock and the shot clock about to expire, Jenkins stepped up and nailed a 3-pointer. It was turning point as WCU went on to score the final seven points in a key PSAC triumph.
“It was, obviously, the biggest shot of the game,” said West Chester head coach Damien Blair. “It
was a dagger.”
And if the stakes weren’t big enough, consider this: it was the first 3-pointer Jenkins had ever attempted in his two-year college career at WCU.
“I don’t know if he had a choice because the shot clock was running down, but I knew he was taking it,” Blair laughed. “I was thinking, ‘I hope somebody gets the rebound.’”
It hit nothing but net, of course, propelling the Rams to the second best start in program history. The 200910 squad began that season 9-0.
On the day, WCU shot an anemic 27 percent from the floor. Every possession was a monumental struggle, and unless the Rams managed to get to the free throw line (it did 36 times, making 26), it frequently ended with an errant shot. But there were extenuating circumstances: West Chester didn’t have five players who are in the playing rotation.
“Last season we had several games where we were missing multiple guys, and we’ve always preached that any five can win a game,” Blair explained. “We proved that last year, so I think this team is confident in that motto. They truly believe they can go out and win no matter what five are on the floor.”
The Rams have thrived this fall even though the team’s top returning scorer, Malik Jackson, is out for the season with academic problems. And on Saturday, WCU didn’t have starter Frank Rokins, a junior college transfer who was serving a suspension after getting bounced from the previous contest for fighting. The 6-foot-4 Rokins entered the game leading the Rams in rebounding (8.6 per game) and was third in scoring (11.0) and assists (2.9).
In addition, center Tim Toro is out with an elbow injury, and teammates Terrence Moore, Jawan Collins and Steve Smith were all suspended for leaving the bench area during the aforementioned scuffle.
“We had a lot of guys playing out of position,” Blair said. “Jackson (Hyland) has never played the four spot before. And (EricEvan) Longino has been injured, so it was his first college game.
“We were a little disjointed because of all of that.”
Leading scorer Tyrell Long, for example, didn’t connect on his first shot from the field until the 18:30 mark of the second half. He finished with a game-high 14 points but shot just 2 of 12 from the floor. Longino (13 points), Hyland (12) and Matt Penecale (10) all helped, but nobody shot it well.
“We know Mercyhurst is a good defensive team and we headed in knowing it was going to be ugly offensively,” Jenkins pointed out.
An all too brief hot shooting spell – including backto-back 3-pointers by Pencale and Longino -- the Rams pulled ahead 45-35 with just over eight minutes on the clock. But the scoring woes quickly returned, to set up Jenkins’ big shot.
“We were trying to get a good look for our shooters,” recalled Jenkins, who came off the bench and scored just five points in 18 minutes of action. “The defense collapsed, so I kicked out last second, and I was hoping (Longino) was going to see me wide open on the wing. I knew I was going to shoot it before I even got it. There was no hesitation and it felt great.”
The stat sheet shows that the Lakers (2-3, 4-4) shot the ball about 10 percentage points better than West Chester, and the rebounding was all even at 3737. Other than a big edge at the line, the Rams just kind of willed this victory.
“They like playing basketball together,” Blair said of his team. “Everybody I’ve talked to about our team, the first thing they say is that they share the ball better than any team I’ve had. You can preach that as much as you want, but guys have to want to do that.
“That’s the sign of a really good team: guys that want to play together; want to play for each other and are just following our philosophy.”