WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (12-12, 8-8 PSAC) remained home on Saturday afternoon for the middle game of its three-game homestand against PSAC East-leading Kutztown (13-10, 11-5 PSAC). The Golden Rams used a dominant third quarter, which carried over into the fourth to knock off the PSAC East-leading Golden Bears by a final score of 64-53.
The Basics:
Final Score: WCU 64 Kutztown 53
Records: WCU (12-12, 8-8 PSAC) Kutztown (13-10, 11-5 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House-West Chester, Pa.
How it Happened:
- The first quarter was the definition of a low-scoring affair as both sides struggled to get going from the field in the early going, thus, sending the game to the second quarter locked at 10-10.
- In the second quarter, the two sides traded baskets before Kutztown went on an 11-0 to claim a 28-20, which would be the Golden Bears largest lead of the game. This impressive run enabled Kutztown to carry a 32-25 lead to the halftime break.
- In the third quarter, West Chester was dominant as the Golden Rams outscored their guests 21-9 highlighted by a buzzer-beating heave from Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) to give the Golden Rams a 46-41 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
- Seemingly spurred by the momentum of the buzzer-beating three to end the third, West Chester started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run over the course of the opening four minutes of play to take a commanding 55-43 lead halfway through the final stanza. From this point forward the teams traded baskets and short runs, which allowed West Chester to earn the 64-53 victory over its rivals.
Golden Ram Rundown:
- Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led all-scorers with a game-high 17 points while Troisi was close behind with 13 points of her own. Destiny Jefferson (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) finished with 11 points of her own while Rylee Power (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) registered 10 points as well to mark the third time in the last four game that Power has scored in double-figures.
- Power also tied her career-high in rebounding as she came away with nine rebounds for the second game in a row while also tying with Troisi and Katherine Fisher (Rutledge, Pa./Strath Haven) for the team lead in assists.
- As a team, West Chester ended the contest shooting 36.7 % (22-of-60) from the field while also shooting 23.1 % (3-of-13) from three-point range and 77.3 % (17-for-22) from the line. West Chester also ended the game with a dominant 44-29 (+15) edge in rebounding. The Golden Rams also finished with a six-point advantage in points off turnovers (15-9) and commanding (16-3) edge in second-chance points.
For the Golden Bears:
- Taylor Thames was the leading scorer for Kutztown as she finished with 14 points while teammate Karen Lapkiewicz finished with 10 points of her own with all 10 of those points coming in the first half.
- As a team, Kutztown shot 42.3 % (22-of-52) from the field while also shooting 21.1 % (4-for-19) from three-point range and 55.6 % (5-of-9) from the charity stripe.
The Playoff Picture:
With this victory, West Chester now sits third in the PSAC East by virtue of Shippensburg being off this afternoon.
Up Next:
West Chester will conclude its three-game homestand on Wednesday evening against Mansfield with that contest slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.
