WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Elijah Allen scored a game-high 21 points to lead West Chester (19-10) to a 76-66 win over Shepherd (13-15) in first-round action of the PSAC Men's Basketball Tournament at West Chester on Monday night.

Senior guard Phillip Jordan (Rockville, Md./St. Albans) led the Rams with 18 points. He connected on 6-of-14 field goals with a 1-of-5 effort from three-point range. He hit 5-of-6 free throws. He added a game-high six assists and three rebounds.

Senior guard Daniel McClain-Corley (Clinton, Md./Massanutten Military Academy) added 16 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Carson Poffenberger (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) had 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and a game-high four steals, while freshman guard Marcus Banks (Clinton, Md./Riverdale Baptist) contributed nine points and five boards.

Robert Smith added 17 points for the Golden Rams. Joshua Walker posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Shepherd opened the game on an 8-0 run and had a 34-30 lead at the break as McClain-Corley (8), Jordan (7), and Poffenberger (7) combined for 22 first-half points.

The Golden Rams opened the second half on a 12-0 run to take an eight-point lead at 42-34. West Chester added a 9-4 lead to take a double-digit lead that it would not relinquish.

Shepherd connected on 40 percent (24-60) of its field goals with a 22.6 percent (7-31) performance from three-point range. The Rams drained 64.7 percent (11-17) of their free throws.

West Chester shot 45.3 percent (24-53) from the floor with a 46.2 percent (6-13) effort from beyond the arc. 

The Golden Rams hit 81.5 percent (22-27) from the foul line.

West Chester had a 40-30 edge on the boards. The Rams forced 16 turnovers and committed 11.

West Chester advances to the conference quarterfinals on Wednesday at Lock Haven.