Second-Half Run Sparks West Chester to 75-69 Win In Finale

Box Score

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Dallas Ely scored 21 second-half points as visiting West Chester ended the game on a 32-19 run to come from behind and defeat host East Stroudsburg, 75-69, Wednesday evening inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
 
West Chester (18-8, 13-3 PSAC East) wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming PSAC Tournament and will receive a first-round bye. East Stroudsburg (14-12, 9-7) finish the regular season in fifth place and will travel to fourth-seeded Millersville on Saturday. The Golden Rams get the winner of sixth-seeded Kutztown vs. third-seeded Shippensburg. That game will be played Saturday with the winner traveling to West Chester on Tuesday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Golden Rams trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half, before Ely found her groove and took over the game. She was held scoreless in the first half for just the second time all year (at Clarion), but went 11-for-15 from the foul line and knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets during the decisive run to close out the contest.
 
Kendall Benovy scored 20 points, registering her second 20+ outing of the year. She chipped in 10 rebounds to post her fourth double-double of the year. In all, four West Chester players hit double figures with Anna Kuntz pouring in 14 and Brittany Sicinski added 13.
 
West Chester, which was being outrebounded 23-17 at halftime and had only hit on 3 of 9 from the foul line, dramatically improved their game in both areas over the final 20 minutes. The Golden Rams finished with a 44-41 edge on the boards and knocked down 26 of 32 shots from the free throw line.
 
NOTES: West Chester University finishes in second place in the PSAC Eastern Division for the second time in three years … the Golden Rams will play the winner of Kutztown vs. Shippensburg in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament … that game will be played at 5:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men's team … West Chester split the season series against Shippensburg (winning on the road and losing at home) while sweeping Kutztown … West Chester's 13 conference wins are the most in a single season by the Golden Rams in a year in which only games against Eastern Division opponents counted in the league standings … So., G Dallas Ely surpassed 500 points on the season and 700 points in her two-year career … she is just the fourth player in school history to score 500 points in a single season (Mitzi Reitnouer – 698 [1981-82]; Keisha Mack – 533 [2003-04]; Patti Gruber – 524 [1989-90]).