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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Allison Hostetter drained a pair of free throws with 1:23 remaining to lift visiting West Chester to a 78-77 non-league women’s basketball victory over host Philadelphia University in the Golden Rams’ season opener inside the Gallagher Center Tuesday evening.
Hostetter went to the line for a 1-and-1 trailing by a point and calmly hit both foul shots as West Chester (1-0) picked up a win in its season opener at Philadelphia University (2-1). The senior guard finished with just six points, but a team-high 10 rebounds. Ambreelinne Ortman paced the Golden Rams with a career-best 20 points, including a 4-for-6 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.
Host PhilaU went on a 17-8 run in the final eight minutes of the game to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point lead with just under three to play (77-73). However, three turnovers by the Rams down the stretch, and three steals by the Golden Rams’ Alex Lennon (16 points), let the visitors escape the Gallagher Center with the “W”.
“I think our substitution pattern enabled us to have a little more gas in the tank at the end,” WCU head coach Deirdre Kane said. “I really think that was difference.”
Lennon, who scored 13 of her 16 points before halftime, resurrected her night with her only three steals coming in the waning moments to help seal the win. She also posted six blocked shots in the tilt.
“(Lennon) came up with some critical steals at the end.”
West Chester struggled all night from the floor, shooting just 37.3 percent from the field. However, the Rams lofted up a total of 83 shots in the contest as compared to their counterpart’s 55. West Chester made just 31 of those 83 attempts.
“Our goal is to take 100 shots in a game,” Kane added. “I think (a higher shooting percentage for the game) will come with time. We put a lot of players in the game, who had not seen significant minutes before.
Ortman seemed to be the lone Golden Rams player with the touch, nailing four of her six 3-point opportunities. Jillian Keefer (13 points) was 3-for-6 from behind the arc, which has been moved back to the same distance as the men’s game for the 2011-12 campaign.
“We knew that is the way she can play,” Kane said of Ortman’s 20-point night. “She just needed a breakout game to prove it to herself. We have known she can play like that for awhile.”
Paige Elliott collected eight rebounds in the game, including seven off the offensive glass. West Chester held a 50-40 edge in rebounding overall, but snared 32 caroms on the offensive end, which helped the Golden Rams to a 21-6 edge in second-chance points. That proved to be the difference Tuesday.
Philadelphia University put four players in double figures, including Christine Wooding (24 points) and Kristen Blye (21 points). Wooding posted a double-double, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds as well.
West Chester opens its home slate on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. contest against Slippery Rock in a crossover match with the Western Division foe, which will count in the league standings for the first time this winter. The Golden Rams then host Mercyhurst on Sunday.
