CHARLESTON, W.V.- Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) scored 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting and a 6-for-7 effort at the line, while
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) added 18 of her own on 8-for-18 shooting but it was not enough to help the West Chester University women's basketball team (0-2) overcome a big third-quarter run by Charleston (2-0) in a narrow 64-59 setback on Sunday afternoon.
West Chester led throughout the first quarter and found itself within two points with under a minute to play, but Charleston went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to escape with a five-point victory over the upset-minded Golden Rams.
Kozicki's 22-point effort is the second-highest scoring performance in her Golden Ram career and is her highest since a 28-point performance on February 4, 2023, in a 74-71 victory at Mansfield.
West Chester jumped out to an early 6-2 lead and used this early advantage to withstand a 5-0 Charleston run to end the first quarter, carrying a 14-13 lead into the second.
The Golden Eagles extended their run to 8-0 to open the second quarter, which gave the hosts their first lead of the afternoon at 16-14 with 9:18 to play in the first half when Harper Annario scored her eighth point of the run via a made three.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) went on a mini 4-0 run of her own over the next three minutes to restore an 18-16 lead before Charleston tied the game at 18-18 20 seconds later. West Chester countered with a 6-0 run, led by six points from
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), which gave the visitors a 24-18 lead with 2:53 to play. Charleston closed the first half on a 10-0 run, led by six points from Shepherd transfer Sydney Bolles as she ended the first half with a game-high 10 points.
Kozicki and McTamney led West Chester in scoring in the first half with eight points each on 30.6 % (11-of-36) shooting while going 0-for-5 from three-point range and 2-for-3 at the free throw line.
West Chester and Charleston traded points early in the second half, but the Golden Eagles snuck out to a narrow 37-30 lead at the under-five media timeout. Charleston maintained its lead down the stretch of the third quarter, carrying a 49-40 lead into the fourth, despite a modest 4-0 run by Kozicki and West Chester to end the quarter.
Kozicki picked up where she left off to open the fourth, hitting a jumper just 11 seconds in to make the score 49-42, and McTamney followed this up with a layup of her own off a turnover just 16 seconds later to suddenly cut the deficit to just five. Bolles countered with another three with 9:20 to play, which extended the lead to 52-44, but
Alainna Hopta (York, Pa./West York) countered with a 5-0 run of her own to make it a three-point (52-49) game with eight minutes to play.
The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 57-49 with seven minutes to play, but West Chester continued its comeback bid, making it a one-possession game once again with under a minute to play after a layup by Kozicki capped off a 10-4 Golden Ram run. With little choice but to commence fouling, West Chester fouled with under 30 seconds to play, and the hosts hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it a three-point game. West Chester tried to go two-for-one late, but the Kozicki layup attempt was off the mark, and Charleston returned to the line. Ksenija Mitric knocked down both free throws with 15 seconds to play, which made the score 64-59 and effectively put the game out of reach as the Golden Rams comeback bid fell short.
West Chester shot 36.8 % (25-of-68) from the field and was 2-for-15 (13.3 %) from three-point range in the setback while also going 7-for-8 (87.5 %) at the free-throw line. Charleston shot 41.1 (23-of-56) from the field and 35.0 % (7-of-20) from three-point range while also 11-for-12 (91.7 %) at the free throw line.
Charleston ended the game with a narrow 41-37 rebounding lead, although West Chester won the turnover battle, committing just 15 while forcing Charleston into 20.
West Chester ended the game with a 16-14 lead in points off turnovers and a 30-28 lead in points in the paint. Charleston finished the afternoon with a 20-9 lead in points off the bench and a 12-11 lead in second-chance points to hold on for its second victory of the weekend.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Thursday night at Holy Family beginning at 6 p.m. The Golden Rams will play their home opener and look to extend their home winning streak to 25 in a row, the second-longest active streak in Division II, after a Tampa loss at home earlier this weekend.
