MANSFIELD, Pa.- Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) scored a game-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, along with eight rebounds and a pair of assists to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (17-9, 14-6) to a 97-63 victory over Mansfield (8-18, 6-15) on Saturday afternoon.

Beginning its final road trip of the 2023-24 season, West Chester got things off on the right foot on Saturday, erasing an early first-half deficit and leading by as many as 40 late in the second half in a convincing 97-63 victory over Mansfield.

Allen was one of four Golden Rams in double figures as he was joined by Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt), who scored 19 points of his own on 7-of-14 shooting. Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) posted his 15^th double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Saleem Payne (Philadelphia, Pa./Phelps School) continued his outstanding week, scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists in 30 minutes of action to help guide the Golden Rams to victory.

West Chester shot 44.7 % (34-of-76) from the field in the victory, shooting an identical 17-of-38 in both halves, although the team was 8-of-14 from three-point range in the second half, which boosted the squad's
 three-point shooting percentage to 44.8 % (13-of-29) on the game. West Chester was a perfect 7-of-7 from the line in the first half on Saturday and connected on 9-of-13 at the stripe in the second, ending the day with an 80.0 % (16-of-20) free-throw shooting percentage.

Mansfield got out to an early 8-5 lead on Saturday afternoon and, after trading runs, held a narrow 22-21 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. West Chester found its stride down the stretch of the opening half, going on a 7-0 run over the last four minutes and outscoring its hosts 25-10 over the final eight-and-a-half minutes to carry a 46-32 advantage into the break.

Smith led all scorers in the first half, scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, along with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Smith was one of three Golden Rams in double figures in the opening 20 minutes as Kellier and Allen ended with 10 each, while Kellier also picked up his 15^th double-double of the year with 10 rebounds in the first half.

As a team, West Chester shot 44.7 % (17-of-38) from the field, including a 5-for-15 (33.3 %) effort from beyond the arc, while Mansfield shot 33.3 % (11-of-33) from the field and 27.3 % (6-of-22) from three-point range to start the game.

With a 14-point lead to start the second half, West Chester wasted little time extending its advantage, leading by as many as 40 with 5:24 to play in regulation en route to a 97-63 victory after outscoring Mansfield by 20 (51-31) in the final 20 minutes.

Mansfield shot 34.9 % (22-of-63) from the field, including a 19.4 % (7-of-36) effort from three-point range, while also connecting on 12-of-18 (66.7 %) from the charity stripe. Idris Ali led the team in scoring, finishing with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field and a 4-for-4 effort at the line, while Michael Dickson chipped in 12 of his own as the lone other Mountaineer in double figures.

West Chester ended the game with an impressive 55-34 lead on the glass, including a 14-4 advantage in offensive rebounding, which translated into a 24-4 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also finished the game with a 13-10 lead in the turnover battle and a corresponding 14-7 lead in points off turnovers. Additionally, the Golden Rams finished their third victory in a row with a 38-24 lead in points in the paint and a 51-37 advantage in points off the bench.

Up Next:

West Chester returns to action next on Wednesday night at Millersville, beginning at 7:30 p.m.