West Chester Still Unbeaten Following Win Over Mercyhurst, 63-57

Box Score

ERIE, Pa. – Chikisha Steele-Hook (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.) posted a team-best 17 points, all in the second half, leading three players in double figures as visiting West Chester topped host Mercyhurst, 63-57, in a PSAC women's basketball contest Tuesday evening.
 
West Chester (8-0, 5-0 PSAC) remains unbeaten on the season. The Golden Rams eight wins to open the year are the most since 2000-01 – head coach Kiera Wooden's sophomore season. Mercyhurst (2-8, 0-5) is still in search of its first conference victory.
 
West Chester carved out a 38-30 advantage over the first 20 minutes of the game thanks in large part to the play of junior guards Jasmen Clark (Temple, Pa./Olney) and Dallas Ely (Montrose, Pa./Montrose). Clark notched 12 of her season-best 14 points on the night in the first half while Ely put up 14 of her 16 in the opening stanza. When the Lakers clamped down on Clark and Ely in the second half, things opened up for Steele-Hook.
 
The junior forward is averaging 14.5 points per game over her last four contests. She planted 19 points on Lock Haven in early December and 18 opposite Kutztown just before Thanksgiving. But, she shook off the rust from a 10-day layoff between games due to final exams and kept the Rams on top.
 
Mercyhurst climbed to within four on two occasions, but Steele-Hook and her teammates responded each time to push the advantage back to 10. The Lakers did not hit a basket in the final 1:50 of the game.
 
West Chester held a 46-42 lead with 12:36 to go when the Golden Rams doubled up the Lakers over the next nine minutes to push their margin to 13 points (62-49). Steele-Hook had seven points, two rebounds and a steal during that run.
 
West Chester shot 43.3 percent from the floor and forced 23 turnovers from Mercyhurst. The Lakers shot a respectable 40.8 percent themselves. However, the difference was that the Rams took 60 shots as opposed to Mercyhurst's 49. The Lakers also missed on all eight of their 3-point attempts in the second half, after hitting 4 of 12 in the first half.
 
West Chester, the first team listed among others receiving votes in the latest USA Today/Top 25 Division II Women's Basketball Poll, takes on Gannon University Wednesday evening.