WEST CHESTER, Pa-Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) led West Chester in scoring with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting along with five rebounds, while Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) picked up his 17^th double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds to help lead the West Chester University men's basketball team (18-10, 15-7) to an 84-63 victory over Bloomsburg (5-23, 3-19).

Before today's game, West Chester honored its senior class of Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and Jordan Kellier (Kingston, Jamaica/Redemption Christian) in a special pregame ceremony. The ceremony was made perhaps a bit more special by the surprise appearance of Kellier's parents, who joined the Golden Rams from Jamaica as a special Senior Day surprise for the veteran forward.

Men's basketball senior day was special tpday as we welcomed Jordan Kellier's family from Jamaica to help surprise the graduate student forward!#ramsup pic.twitter.com/W8TDXQ2vUz

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) March 2, 2024

In addition to the 22 from Smith and 13 from Kellier, Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) chipped in 13 of his own on 6-of-9 shooting, while Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) added 10 on 5-of-9 shooting. Darrius Phillips (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Seton Hall Prep) was the fifth and final Golden Ram in double figures in the victory, finishing with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds.

West Chester shot 45.0 % (36-of-80) from the field in the victory while also connecting on 5-of-29 (17.2 %) from three-point range. West Chester also went 7-for-13 (53.8 %) at the line. Bloomsburg shot 36.9 % (24-of-65) from the field, including an 8-for-39 (20.5 %) effort from three-point territory, while also going 7-for-9 at the line.

West Chester trailed only briefly in the first half, erasing an early two-point deficit with a 10-0 run before leading by as many as 38 midway early in the second half in another convincing victory for the Golden Rams.

Kellier scored the game's first points to give West Chester an early lead, and the lead eventually grew to four after a quick make by Walker. Bloomsburg responded with a 10-4 run, capped off by a three by Louie Wild, which gave the Huskies a slim 10-8 lead with 15:17 to play in regulation. West Chester countered quickly with a 10-0 run led by four points each from Smith and Kellier, giving the hosts an 18-10 lead with 12:43 to play in the first half.

West Chester never trailed again in the victory, stretching the lead to as many as 25 late in the first half, and another 10-1 run by the Golden Rams to close out the half. Walker led West Chester in scoring during this run, scoring a run-high four points.

Smith led West Chester in scoring in the first half, scoring 13 points, while Kellier chipped in 11 to go along with 10 from Walker as the Golden Rams ended the half with three in double figures.

Louie Wild led the team in scoring in the first half, finishing with eight points in the first 20 minutes, eventually finishing with 11 after being limited to just three points in the second.

Leading by 25 at the break, West Chester continued its run early in the second half, stretching the run to 12-0 and eventually led by as many as 38 (63-25) with just under 15 minutes to play in the first half.

Over the next six minutes, Bloomsburg went on a 19-10 run led by 10 points from Matt Bengel, who led Bloomsburg in scoring with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting to trim the WCU lead to 73-44.  The Huskies continued their ill-fated comeback bid as the second half continued, cutting the deficit to 15 late in the second half, but this was as close as Bloomsburg would get in the 84-63 setback.

Bengel led Bloomsburg in scoring with 14 points as one of four Huskies in double figures; he was joined by Mondyu Richards, who scored 12 along with a team-high seven rebounds, while Desmond Freeman added 10 to go along with 11 from Wild.

West Chester ended the game with a 59-32 lead in rebounding, including a 21-5 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to a 19-4 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 13-11 lead in the turnover battle and a corresponding 18-10 advantage in points off turnovers while also outscoring the Huskies 56-30 in the paint. Additionally, the Golden Rams ended the game with a 25-12 lead in points off the break and a 26-11 lead in points off the bench, led by 12 from Phillips.

Up Next:

West Chester will now shift its attention to the PSAC Tournament as the Golden Rams host Shepherd in a PSAC first-round matchup on Monday night beginning at 7 p.m. Fans must purchase tickets online and can do so via this link.