Jackson’s 36 Propels West Chester Past Wilmington, 91-78
WILMINGTON, Del. – So., guard Malik Jackson (Lansdowne, Pa. / Penn Wood) poured in a career high 36 points and six assists as the Golden Rams never trailed in a 91-78 victory over host Wilmington (Del.) inside the Wilmington University Athletics Complex Monday night. Jackson simply could not miss in the first half, registering 27 points for the Golden Rams. The Philadelphia native shot 90 percent from the field (9-10) to along with seven 3-pointers (7-8) for an 87.5 percentage. West Chester's leading scorer captured his career high by being 11 of 15 from the floor (73.3%), while being 70 percent from the perimeter (7-10). Jackson connected on seven three-pointers, matching a career high that last occurred against IUP (Pa.) in 2015. West Chester's (5-5) squad was clicking on all cylinders in the non-conference matchup, scoring nine unanswered to begin the contest. The Golden Rams managed to capture a commanding 19-2 lead in the first four minutes. Wilmington (6-5) would try to claw its way back halfway through the first half, going on an 8-2 run over a four-minute span. However, head coach Damien Blair's team would take a 54-35 lead over host Wilmington at the half after the offensive explosion by Jackson and the Golden Rams. West Chester posted a season-high 54 points in the first half, shooting 62.1 percent from the field (18-29) and 56.3 from downtown (9-16). Coming out of the locker room, Wilmington would capitalize going on a 9-4 run in the opening five minutes of the second half. The Wildcats cut the deficit within 11 at the 2:12 mark, but the Golden Rams never allowed their lead to get within single digits. Wilmington's Nick Richards was the leading scorer for the Wildcats tonight, registering 33 points and seven rebounds. Wilmington as a whole shot 38.8 percent from the field (26-67) and 32 percent from the downtown (8-25). West Chester on the other hand managed to shoot a season best 57.9 percent from the field. This was by far the Golden Rams best performance shooting wise as their previous season high was 47.8 percent against Bowie State. From behind the arc, West Chester knocked down nine of 20 shots for 45 percent. Of those nine, Jackson hit seven of them in the first half to go down tied for third in the record book. Alongside in the backcourt was sophomore Matt Penecale (Jenkintown, Pa. / Abington), who contributed 13 points to go along with a team high seven dishes. West Chester's frontcourt excelled tonight against the Wildcats as well, outrebounding the host team 46-32 and held a 10-point advantage from points in the paint (40-30). For the second consecutive game, senior Thomas White (Chester, Pa./Penn Wood) added 15 points for West Chester. White was the second leading scorer on the team behind Jackson in addition to seven rebounds. Miko Jenkins (Harrisburg, Pa. / Steel) provided a post presence as well, utilizing his hook shot. The forward managed a career high 12 points, while also contributing six rebounds. Sophomore Jackson Hyland (Avondale, Pa./Kennett) chipped six points and crashed the boards to grab a team-high 11 rebounds. West Chester will host the Bloomsburg Huskies for a conference matchup in the final game of 2016 on Friday, December 30th inside Hollinger Field House at 7:30 p.m. Game Notes Last season, the Golden Rams survived a double overtime thriller to defeat Wilmington (Del.), 103-92 inside Hollinger Field House. In that contest, Jackson matched a career-high 34 points. In the matchup tonight, Jackson set a new career high 36 points. This was the second time this season that Jackson has surpassed 30 points. His seven three-pointers places him tied for third in the record book, trailing only Todd Neff who had eight in 1990 and current head coach Damien Blair who owns the record with 12 back in 1995. Jenkins posted a career high as well with 12 points. West Chester shot 57.9 from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range, which were both season highs.
