Comeback Falls Short as West Chester Loses to Bloomsburg in OT

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - The West Chester women's basketball team overcame an early 17-point deficit but fell short in overtime as it lost to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division rival Bloomsburg University, 56-55.
 
It was a slow start for West Chester as it scored only three points in the first quarter and was down 29-12 at halftime. The Golden Rams didn't let that stop them, however, as they scored 21 points in the third quarter to begin cutting into Bloomsburg's lead.
 
Junior center Justyn Roberts (Harrisburg, Pa. / C.D. East) capped off a nine-point WCU run in the fourth quarter with a layup to give her team a 47-45 lead with 3:48 left on the clock. Bloomsburg then tied the game at 47 with 2:45 to go in the fourth. It became a defensive battle for the final three minutes as neither team scored, forcing overtime.
 
West Chester and Bloomsburg exchanged blows in overtime with Bloomsburg owning a 56-55 lead going into the final seconds. West Chester had the ball with nine seconds left on the clock, but a last-minute shot missed as Bloomsburg came out on top.
 
Roberts was the lead scorer for West Chester, tallying 18 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J. / Notre Dame) also scored 14 points for West Chester, while senior guard Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa. / Pope John Paul II) led the team with eight rebounds.
 
West Chester now drops to 8-15 (6-12 PSAC) while Bloomsburg is now 12-11 (9-10 PSAC). West Chester, in seventh place, is now three games behind Bloomsburg for the final PSAC East playoff spot with four regular season games remaining.
 
The Golden Rams return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Kutztown for a 5:30 p.m. game.