WEST CHESTER, Pa.  – Elijah Allen scored a game-high 27 points to lead West Chester (17-11) to an 88-79 win over Shepherd University (12-17) in first round action of the PSAC Tournament at West Chester on Monday night. 

Senior forward Kyle Daggett (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) led the Rams with 21 points and seven rebounds. He connected on 6-of-9 nine field goals with a 2-of-5 performance from three-point range. He was 7-of-7 from the foul line. 

Sophomore guard Phillip Jordan (Rockville, Md./St. Albans) had 16 points and five rebounds, while freshman guard Jarod Robinson (Laurel, Md./Glenelg Country School) tossed in 15 points and grabbed six boards. 

Senior guard Cam Stephens (Bunker Hill, W.Va./Musselman) and freshman guard Aidan Hughley (York, Pa./York Suburban) each added nine points and six boards. Stephens also handed out a game-high four assists. 

Robert Smith added 17 points for the Golden Rams. Kyle McGee contributed 16 points. 

West Chester had a 42-41 lead at the half. 

Shepherd tied the game at 72-all after a dunk by Daggett with 4:38 remaining, but West Chester closed the game on a 16-7 run to gain the win. 

Shepherd connected on 46.2 percent (24-52) from the floor with a 33.3 percent (6-18) performance from beyond the arc for the game. The Rams hit 86.2 percent (25-29) of their free throws. 

West Chester shot 47.3 percent (26-55) from the floor with a 40 percent effort (10-25) from three-point range. The Golden Rams shot 86.7 percent (13-15) from the foul line. 

Shepherd had a 40-26 advantage in rebounds. The Rams forced seven turnovers and committed 13 

West Chester advances to the tournament quarterfinals against Millersville on Wednesday.