WEST CHESTER, Pa.- A historic night by junior guard
Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) keyed West Chester (16-13) to a thrilling 77-69 first round PSAC Tournament victory over rival Millersville (12-16) on Monday evening.
Troisi ended the contest as just the third Golden Rams player in team history to register a triple-double as she finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 17 assists. Troisi's 17 assists also set a new team record, breaking the mark previous held by Colleen McNamara in 1990 when she registered 14 helpers against Immaculata University. Troisi also registered the most assists by any player in the PSAC since Shelly Respecki recorded 18 for Clarion against Ashland in the 1991-92 season, and it is the most by a PSAC player in a PSAC game since Lori Richelderfer recorded a conference record 21 assists for Cal U against Millersville in the 1993-94 season. It also set a record for most assists in a playoff game in PSAC Women's Basketball history.
How it Happened:
- In the first quarter, the two sides traded baskets and short runs throughout the opening stanza, which following a late run by West Chester enabled the Golden Rams to carry a slim 22-19 lead to the second quarter.
- The second quarter remained close once again as West Chester ended the period with a 22-21 advantage to carry a 43-39 lead to the halftime break.
- In the third period of play, West Chester held its largest lead of the game and the largest lead by either team at 10 points after opening the half on a 6-0 run to claim an early 49-39 advantage. Millersville battled back from this point, but the Marauders were unable to cut the deficit to any fewer than four points as West Chester carried a six-point 61-55 lead to the fourth quarter of action.
- In the fourth, West Chester opened with yet another 6-2 run to claim a 10-point lead, which quickly prompted a Millersville timeout with just over 6:30 to play in regulation. Out of this timeout, it was Millersville's turn to go on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 67-63 with slightly over five minutes to play. The two teams traded baskets down the stretch but late free throws by West Chester iced the contest as the Golden Rams prevailed 77-69 to earn a spot in the PSAC Quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
Golden Rams Rundown:
- Destiny Jefferson (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) and Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) were the Golden Rams two leading scorers as Jefferson finished with 21 while Torresin had 19. Katherine Fisher (Rutledge, Pa./Strath Haven) ended the contest with 13 points of her own while Troisi had 11. Troisi also finished the contest as the game-leader in both rebounding (15) and assists (17) to lead the Golden Rams to victory.
- As a team, West Chester shot 46.2 % (30-of-65) from the field while also shooting 30.8 % (4-for-13) from three and 13-of-22 (59.1 %) from the charity stripe in the victory.
- This victory improves West Chester to 3-0 vs Millersville in 2018-19 while head coach Kiera Wooden improves her career record against the Marauders to 10-1 overall. West Chester is also now 9-3 in PSAC Tournament home games since the 2007 regular season.
Millersville Recap:
- Lauren Lister led a trio of Marauders in double-figures as she ended the game with a game-high 27 pints while Samantha Brusha had 15 and Olivia Mottern had 12 points as well in the loss.
- As a team, Millersville shot 30-of-64 (46.9 %) from the field while shooting 33.3 % (30-of-65) from beyond the arc and just 3-of-6 (50.0 %) from the charity stripe in the loss.
What They Said:
When asked about her record-setting performance Troisi stated, "I have to thank my team for finishing off my passes through the night. It was absolutely a team effort throughout the contest, and I think we did a great job of executing the little things and making the plays that we needed to make when necessary. Sharing the ball was definitely critical to success for us tonight," continued Troisi. "I think they tried to take Destiny (Jefferson) away, but the way we moved and shared the ball made that difficult, which was a huge key to success."
Up Next:
West Chester will now turn its attention to No. 2 seed Bloomsburg on Wednesday evening in the PSAC Quarterfinals as West Chester will be looking to secure a spot in the PSAC Semifinals for the second consecutive year.
