West Chester Falls At Home To PhilaU, 73-68

Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Camden Boehner (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) and Porscha Speller (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) each posted 14 points, but host West Chester dropped a non-league contest to visiting Philadelphia University, 73-68, Thursday evening inside Hollinger Field House.
 
West Chester (2-5) turned the ball over 17 times, forcing just six miscues from Philadelphia University (5-4).
 
An 11-2 run in the second quarter pulled West Chester to within a bucket at the end of the first half, 33-31, and a pair of free throws to open the second half by Speller knotted the game for the fourth time. Fueling the second quarter run was senior Mariah Traywick (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) off the bench. The forward scored 10 of her 12 points in the second.
 
However, the third quarter marked the difference in the game as the visiting Rams scored 24 points, including 16 in the final four minutes where they outscored the Golden Rams, 16-6, to take a 57-47 advantage into the final 10 minutes. Two 3-pointers from Rachel Day (19 points) and another from Alexandra Warren (11 points off the bench) sparked the visitor's run.
 
Speller kept the Golden Rams close, registering a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) and piling on five assists. But, it was not enough down the stretch. West Chester came within three points of PhilaU on three different occasions, but could never pull even, or take a lead.
 
Tori Smick was the fourth Golden Rams player in double figures with 11 points. She also added six rebounds. Traywick pulled down six rebounds in 21 minutes to go along with her 12 points. Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) dished out four assists.
 
West Chester received 28 points from its bench on Thursday.
 
Philadelphia University made 9 of 21 from beyond the arc and got off 64 shots, compared to 51 for the Golden Rams. West Chester was 4-for-14 from 3-point land.
 
West Chester hits the road for the western part of the state and a 1 p.m. tipoff against Mercyhurst in Erie on Saturday. The men will follow at 3 p.m.