Box Score
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Sixteenth-ranked Bloomsburg University topped visiting West Chester University, 66-58, in a battle for first place in the PSAC Eastern Division Wednesday night.
West Chester (17-8, 12-3 PSAC East) remains in second place, one-half game behind Bloomsburg (21-3, 12-2), but one and one-half games ahead of third-place Shippensburg.
Bloomsburg shot 42.6 percent from the field (23-for-54) for the game, including 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from behind the 3-point line, to pull away from West Chester and open up a nine-point lead by halftime (31-22).
The Golden Rams were fortunate to be in the game still, considering they were held scoreless for over nine minutes in the first half. A layup from
Serifat Junaid (11 points) at the 11:10 mark tied the game at 18-all. However, the visitors did not score again until 1:47 remained in the half.
Dallas Ely (15 points) drew WCU to within six at 26-20 with a pair of free throws.
Kendall Benovy, who led West Chester with 19 points, scored West Chester's first nine points and had her team leading, 9-6, four minutes into the contest.
The Huskies' eventually bulged its halftime lead to 14 early in the second half. West Chester was able to cut into that deficit and trailed by just three (51-48) with 7:23 to go, thanks to a 12-2 run over a three-minute span. Benovy sparked that rally as well with five points.
Bloomsburg's Catherine Noak, who scored 27 points in the team's previous meeting this year in Hollinger, poured in 20 points in Wednesday's rematch. Meanwhile Jocelyn Ford added 17 points against the Golden Rams for the second time this year.
West Chester was held to 31.8 percent shooting from the floor (21 of 66) in the game and made just 2 of 20 from downtown.
The Golden Rams are off this Saturday for its bye the second time around the league. West Chester will close out the regular-season portion of its schedule one week from tonight at East Stroudsburg. A win for the Rams over the Warriors would clinch second place and a bye in the first round of the upcoming PSAC Tournament.
First-round games for the postseason begin on Saturday, March 1. The top two teams in the final standings receive a bye while the No. 3 seed hosts the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed.
