MILLERSVILLE, Pa.- Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) scored a team-high 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field to lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (17-10, 14-7) in a narrow 83-78 loss at PSAC East leader Millersville (23-4, 18-3) on Wednesday night.

West Chester trailed by as many as 19 late in the first half but put together a tremendous second-half comeback, which saw the Golden Rams cut the deficit to as few as one with just under two-and-a-half minutes to play in regulation and by just three with 10 seconds to play. Millersville came through with a clutch defensive play on the Golden Rams final inbounds play of the night and put the game away at the free throw line to escape with a five-point victory over the upset-minded Golden Rams.

Smith was one of four Golden Rams in double figures on Wednesday as Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) marked his return to the lineup with a 17-point effort on 6-of-13 shooting, while Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) picked up his 16^th double-double of the year with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Nix Varano () was the fourth and final Golden Ram in double figures, pouring in 11 points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting, while Saleem Payne () chipped in eight of his own in the setback.

West Chester shot 44.8 % (30-of-67) from the field and 31.6 % (6-of-19) from three-point range while also shooting 75.0 % (12-of-16) from the line.

For its part, Millersville saw its entire starting five score in double figures, led by 17 each from Jaden Faulkner, Matt Dade, and Day Waters, while Jahme Ested and Drew Stover finished with 14 and 13 points each. Millersville shot 44.2 % (23-of-52) from the field and 38.1 % (8-of-21) from three-point range while also shooting an impressive 82.9 % (29-of-35) from the stripe in the victory.

After trading baskets early, Millersville jumped out to a 35-16 lead with five minutes to play in the first half after a good layup by Jaden Faulkner, which capped a 14-2 run for the Marauders over a five-
minute span.

West Chester put together an impressive run to end the half, outscoring Millersville 15-6 down the stretch of the first half, led by five points from Kellier and four from Payne.

West Chester continued its comeback bid in the second half, trimming the Millersville lead to just one with 2:21 to play in regulation after trailing by as many as 15 near the second half's midway point. Smith cut the deficit to 76-75 with 2:21 left after a jumper, which capped a five-point Golden Ram run that included a three by Nix Varano (), giving him 11 points on the night with just under three minutes to play.

Millersville stretched the lead back to four (79-75) after going 3-for-4 at the line heading into the final minute of regulation. Smith hit another clutch shot for the Golden Rams, drilling a three, which cut the Marauder lead to 79-78 once again with 44 seconds to play in regulation. Drew Stover restored a three-point lead for Millersville with 13 seconds to play off a perfect feed from Faulkner that beat the expiring shot clock.

Trailing by three with 10 seconds to play, West Chester brought the ball up and called a timeout to draw up a potential final shot. Millersville forced a turnover off the inbounds play, and with no choice but to foul, West Chester sent the Marauders back to the line with four seconds to play. Millersville went 2-for-2 in its final trip to the line to escape with an 83-78 victory over the Golden Rams.

Despite the setback, West Chester ended the game with a 39-33 lead in rebounding, including an 8-3 edge on the offensive glass, including a 6-2 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also finished the game with a 36-26 lead in points in the paint and a 16-5 lead in points off the bench, led by Varano's 11.

Up Next:

West Chester returns to action on Saturday for Senior Day against Bloomsburg, beginning at 3 p.m.