WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (11-12, 7-8 PSAC) squared off against rival Millersville (9-13, 6-9 PSAC) in a game with major postseason implications. West Chester used a big run to close out the contest to earn the 84-75 home victory over its hosts on Wednesday evening.
The Basics:
Final Score: West Chester 84 Millersville 75
Record Check: WCU (11-12, 7-8 PSAC) Millersville (9-13, 6-9 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House-West Chester, Pa.
How it Happened:
- West Chester opened the contest on a 9-2 scoring run in the first 1:40 of play to grab the early lead. Millersville answered back with a 16-13 run to end the first quarter, which made the score 22-18 heading to the second quarter of play.
- In the second quarter, the two teams traded baskets as the Golden Rams scored 15 points while the Marauders registered 14 points of their own to make the score 37-32 heading to the halftime break.
- Millersville opened the second half on a convincing run of its own as the Marauders outscored the Golden Rams 17-7 in the first five minutes of play to take its first lead of the game at 49-44 halfway through the period. The Golden Rams did not trail for long as they closed the quarter on an impressive 12-3 run of its own to carry a 56-52 lead to the fourth and final quarter of play.
- In the fourth quarter, West Chester continued to outscore its guests as the Golden Rams outscored Millersville 9-5 in the first 3:30 minutes of the quarter, which allowed the hosts to grab a solid 65-59 lead with just over six minutes to play in the game. From this point, the two sides traded baskets as Millersville attempted to trim the deficit as West Chester held on for an 84-75 victory over its rivals.
Golden Ram Rundown:
- Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) set a new career-high as she poured in 29 points while also recording six rebounds, one assist, and one steal while teammate Rylee Power (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) set a new season-high with 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
- Power's 20 point outburst marks the second time in the last three contests that the senior guard has scored in double-figures after registering 13 points in the West Chester victory over Pitt-Johnstown a week ago.
- West Chester ended the contest with a slim 37-34 (plus-three) advantage in rebounding thanks in large part to a decisive plus-eight edge in defensive rebounding.
- As a team, West Chester went 33-of-60 (55.0 %) from the field while going just 1-for-10 (10.0 %) from three-point range. West Chester also went 17-of-23 (73.9 %) from the charity stripe.
- West Chester also ended the game with a 58-48 advantage in points in the paint and a 13-10 edge in points off the bench,
A Look at Millersville:
- Lauren Lister was the leading scorer for Millersville at the end of the contest as she scored 28 points while also coming away with four rebounds, and four steals in the loss. Samantha Brusha and Olivia Mottern also ended the contest in double-figures as Brusha registered 17 while Mottern scored 10 points of her own.
- As a team, Millersville went 31-for-67 (46.3 %) from the field while also going 5-for-21 (23.8 %) from deep and 8-of-21 (38.1 %) from the charity stripe in the loss.
The Playoff Picture:
- With this victory, West Chester now holds sole possession of fourth place in the PSAC East while Shippensburg remains in third and Millersville drops into sixth place in the PSAC East after the defeat.
Up Next:
West Chester will continue its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon opposite Kutztown on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.
