BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- After running its winning streak to six in a row on Monday night, the West Chester University women's basketball team (14-5, 9-4) has shifted its attention to its next foe in Bloomsburg (4-15, 2-11) as the Golden Rams prepare to visit the Huskies on Wednesday night beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night's clash is the middle game of a four-game gauntlet for both sides as the league plays four games in eight days, concluding with the matchups this Saturday afternoon.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester enters play on Wednesday trailing 45-42 in the all-time series against the Huskies after sweeping the season series a year ago for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Last February, West Chester ended the regular season with its first road win over Bloomsburg since January of the 2019-20 season. Since 2007-08, West Chester has fared better at home than on the road, playing to a record of 10-6 in Hollinger while going 6-10 in games away from University Avenue.
When West Chester visited Bloomsburg a year ago, the Golden Rams jumped out to an early 10-2 lead after the first quarter and rode this early advantage to a 60-48 victory, withstanding a fourth-quarter comeback bid by the Huskies to claim the PSAC East Regular Season Title.
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) had a big day, finishing with 17 points, including 13 points in the second half to lead all scorers, while
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds to record a double-double in the regular season finale. West Chester ended the game shooting 41.7 % from the field, despite a three-point shooting effort, which saw the visitors connect on just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, with the lone make coming from
Morgan Warley (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) in the third quarter.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester again overcame a slow start on Monday night to earn a 73-45 victory over Millersville. Monday night's victory ran the Golden Ram's winning streak to six in a row and the team's home winning streak to 19 in a row, tied for the seventh-longest home winning streak in DII Women's Basketball. While the score tells one story, Monday night was not always easy for the Golden Rams as West Chester trailed by seven with two minutes to play in the first quarter, shooting just 27.8 % (5-of-18) from the field through the first 10 minutes. West Chester ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run that gave the Golden Rams a 13-12 lead heading into the second. The two sides traded makes early in the second quarter, but West Chester never trailed again, eventually jumping out to a 30-point lead with under two minutes to play in regulation.
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) led the team in scoring once again with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Johnson continued her historic 2023-24 season, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for her second triple-double of the year and second in as many games. Johnson is now the career leader in WCU history in triple-doubles and is the only player in DII women's basketball so far this year to record two or more.
Johnson is the first player in Division II women's basketball to record multiple triple-doubles in the same season since the 2021-22 campaign when Audrey Tingle (West Liberty) and Tori Pearce (Flagler) did so during that season. Before Johnson, Tingle was also the last Division II women's basketball player to record a triple-double in consecutive games. Additionally, Johnson is the first PSAC player to record a triple-double in multiple games in the same season since Angela Heintz did so for Mercyhurst in 2016-17. With this effort, Johnson, the PSAC East Player of the Week, is now averaging 14.9 points per game, 5.8 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game entering the 20
th game of the regular season. These impressive numbers have the graduate student guard just 36 points away from tying the program scoring record, currently held by Brittany Sicinski, while also residing 87 assists away from assistant coach
Allison Hostetter's record for most rebounds by a guard after setting the record for career assists earlier this season.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and Kozicki have also provided an excellent offensive spark for West Chester this season, scoring in double figures in 11 and 12 games, respectively. McTamney is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 per game, while Kozicki is third, averaging 11.1 per game, as the third and final Golden Ram averaging in double figures for the year. Kozicki, who has three double-doubles to her name so far this season, is also second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, while also ranking second on the team in assists, averaging 2.3 per game.
Briana Seltzer (Reading, Pa./Reading) and
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) have provided valuable minutes off the bench for West Chester this season, averaging 4.2 and 2.9 points per game, respectively. Seltzer recently enjoyed perhaps her best game as a Golden Ram in the victory over Mansfield on Saturday afternoon, finishing with 10 in the victory before scoring another seven in the win a night ago.
As a team, West Chester, who was ranked in the top 25 of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll throughout the first two and a half months of the season, ranks second in the PSAC in a number of areas, including scoring (74.5/g) and points allowed (55.6). Led by McAteer, who ranks fifth in the PSAC in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game along with a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game, West Chester also ranks third in the PSAC in field goal percentage (44.0 %), third in rebounds allowed (32.7/g) and second in rebounding (42.6/g).
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
Bloomsburg enters play embroiled in an eight-game losing streak after becoming East leader Lock Haven's latest victim on Monday night by a 68-52 final. The Huskies found themselves in a deep hole at the half, trailing 43-23 but cut into the deficit with a 17-8 third quarter performance, attempting to claw back into the game in the second half. This strong third-quarter effort proved to not be enough for the Huskies to pull an upset as the Bald Eagles pulled back away for a 16-point victory. Bloomsburg shot 37.0 % (17-of-46) from the field, including 27.8 % (5-of-18) from three-point range as the duo of Leah Kale and Katie Starr scored 14 points each. Starr, the top scorer in the PSAC, averaging 19.3 points per game, also led the team in rebounding, finishing with eight in the setback. Leah Kale, the younger sister of assist leader Ella Kale, deposited a team-best two threes to help jumpstart the Bloomsburg offense.
For the year, Bloomsburg averages 61.9 points per game on 40.5 % shooting from the field and 29.9 % shooting from beyond the arc. The Huskies have seen their possessions limited as the team averages just 31.1 rebounds per game, almost five less than its opponents, while also committing an average of 16.9 turnovers per game. Individually, Starr has unquestionably been a bright spot for Bloomsburg this year, ranking first in the league in scoring and third in rebounding, averaging 9.0 per game. The older of the Kale sisters, Ella, is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game, while once again ranking among the league leaders in assists, averaging 4.8 per game, the fourth best in the PSAC.
UP NEXT:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon against Lock Haven beginning at 1 p.m.
