WEST CHESTER, Pa. - West Chester University women's basketball struggled out of the gate on Wednesday and couldn't quite recover, ultimately falling to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division contender East Stroudsburg University, 57-41, at Hollinger Field House.
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The Golden Rams (6-11 overall, 4-8 PSAC) trailed the Warriors (13-4, 9-2) 14-4 after the first quarter and 32-11 at halftime.
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WCU freshman
Sasha Marvel (Medford Lakes, N.J. / Caravel Academy) made the first shot of the second half, sparking a small Golden Rams rally that would have them down 42-26 going to the fourth quarter.
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West Chester sophomore
Kyra Jefferson (Bethlehem, Pa. / Freedom) knocked down a jumper with 3:34 left in regulation to bring her team within 13. That was the closest the game had been since early in the second quarter, but the Golden Rams failed to close the gap anymore.
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Freshman
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J. / Notre Dame) led WCU with 10 points on Wednesday. She's averaging a team-high 12.4 points per game this season.
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Golden Rams senior
Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa. / Pope John Paul II) played a team-high 37 minutes and pieced together another well-rounded game with eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and no turnovers. Troisi has grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds three times this season.
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West Chester had won three straight games before dropping the last two. They'll try to bounce back at Bloomsburg University on Saturday with a game beginning at 1 p.m.
The Golden Rams and Warriors joined forces on Wednesday night throughout the duration of both the men's and women's basketball games to honor East Stroudsburg men's basketball student-athlete Ryan Smith, currently battling leukemia. West Chester athletics collected donations throughout the games and presented a check for Ryan and his family worth $2,000 from the athletic department as well as four local sponsors.
