WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester women's basketball team (7-14, 5-10) returns home on Saturday afternoon to host Bloomsburg (16-8, 14-4) in what will be the first of a three-game home stand for the Golden Rams as the Purple and Gold will play in front of the home crowd three times over the next six days.
FAN INFORMATION
As a reminder, all spectators, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when attending any indoor athletic contests inside Hollinger Field house, the Sturzebecker Health Science Center, or the Graham Natatorium. Masking by all spectators in attendance creates the safest possible atmosphere for the student-athletes, coaches, staff, team representatives, officials, and all other spectators.
Saturday is also "Pack the House" Day inside Hollinger Field House as the first 100 WCU students in attendance at the games will receive a free t-shirt and entry into a raffle.
SERIES INFORMATION
The all-time series between West Chester and Bloomsburg, has been relatively evenly matched with Bloomsburg holding a slim 44-40 lead in the series entering the 85th matchup on Saturday afternoon. Bloomsburg has won each of the last two meetings and four of the last five overall, after halting a three-game losing streak against the Golden Rams, which started in the 2017-18 season and ended with a split in the 2018-19 season.
In the first meeting of the 2022 season series between West Chester and Bloomsburg, the Golden Rams visited the Huskies and had the game locked at 41-41 entering the fourth quarter before a fourth quarter run by Bloomsburg turned the tide and allowed the hosts to earn a 61-50 victory. West Chester fell behind early in this game after Bloomsburg closed out the first quarter on a 13-6 run to trail by seven entering the second quarter. West Chester answered back in the second and third periods, outscoring Bloomsburg 29-22 over these two frames to even the score at 41-41. In the fourth, West Chester and Bloomsburg traded baskets early as the score moved to 43-43 before the Huskies closed the game on a 18-7 run to escape with the 11-point win.
Alexa Abbonizio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) led the Golden Rams in scoring with a team-high 16 points while
Leah Johnson and
Justyn Roberts (Harrisburg, Pa./C.D. East) added seven points each in the setback. As a team, West Chester shot 30.0 % from the field on the day, after shooting just 13.3 % in the fourth quarter of play.
FLOCK TALK
In a story that has become all too familiar for the Golden Rams this season, West Chester found itself in a 18-2 hole early in the game before battling back to take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter of play after outscoring Shippensburg 16-8 in the third. West Chester and Shippensburg traded makes early in the fourth, but West Chester went cold late, going 1-for-16 from the field over the last eight minutes of the contest as Shippensburg, who did not fare much better was able to slip past the Purple and Gold for a 63-58 home victory.
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) was one of three Golden Rams in double figures with 15 points and 13 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the year while
Kyra Jefferson (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) and
Bink Redman (York, Pa./William Penn) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. As a team, West Chester shot just 32.4 % from the field and 19.0 % from deep on the night, however, the Golden Rams did manage to shoot a solid 88.9 % from the line in the setback.
The Golden Ram bench has been a key to success throughout the year as five of the team's seven victories have come when the bench has outscored the opposing bench. Additionally, West Chester's bench has outscored its opponents 173-98 over the last seven games (including a 24-2 advantage at Shippensburg on Wednesday night).
Johnson, who leads the team in most major statistical categories including scoring (17.0/G), rebounds (7.7/G), assists (4.5/G), and steals (3.0/G) ranks among the league's best in a variety of categories ranking fifth in assists while leading the league in steals entering the final weeks of the season. Johnson also ranks seventh in the league in double-doubles with seven on the year while being one of just 10 players in the league and one of five in the PSAC East with a 30+ point game this season following a 31-point effort vs Mansfield on Monday evening,
KNOW THE FOE
Bloomsburg traveled to East Stroudsburg on Monday evening looking to sweep the season series from the Warriors, and did so, prevailing by a final of 53-41. The contest was tightly contested for much of the game as Bloomsburg did not pull away with a comfortable lead of any sort until the third period, when the Huskies outscored East Stroudsburg 12-4 after carrying a slim four-point lead into the halftime break. ESU attempted to comeback in the fourth, scoring 13 points but Bloomsburg was able to match its effort, scoring 12 points of its own to preserve the 12-point victory. Meghan Corridoni led the way for Bloomsburg in the victory, finishing with 19 points (thanks in large part to an 11-of-14 effort from the line) and 12 rebounds while Emma Saxton pitched in 11 points and seven assists in the victory.
Meghan Corridoni is just ahead of Johnson in double doubles with eight to her credit on the year, while ranking second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game leading the league in rebounding averaging 8.2 rebounds per game. Emma Saxton has been another key factor for Bloomsburg this season, ranking first on the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game while leading the squad in assists (4.6/G), and steals (1.9/G).
As a team, Bloomsburg enters play with a record of 16-8 overall and 14-4 in league play, averaging 60.9 points per game and holding opponents to an average of 56.7 points per game with a 35.9 % opponent field-goal percentage entering the final weeks of the regular season.
UP NEXT
West Chester will be back in action on Monday evening vs Shippensburg beginning at 5:30 before hosting Kutztown on Wednesday evening with that game also set to begin at 5:30 in the final game of the homestand for West Chester.
