WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) scored a season-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting along with seven rebounds to set new season-highs in both as the senior helped lead the West Chester University women's basketball team (1-3) to a 90-54 victory over Wilmington (0-4) in its home opener on Monday night.
Before the game, West Chester honored McTamney for scoring her 1,000
th career point last Thursday evening at Holy Family.
McTamney was one of three Golden Rams in double figures as fellow senior
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) also set new season-highs in points and rebounding with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting along with 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the young season.
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) had a breakout game in her rookie season, adding 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from deep, which was second-best on the team, trailing only McTamney, who sunk four three's in the victory.
West Chester shot north of 50.0 % from the field in three of the four quarters, ending the game shooting 52.2 % (36-of-69) from the field and 43.5 % (10-of-23) from three-point range while also shooting 80.0 % (8-of-10) from the line, including a 7-for-8 effort in the second half.
After trading baskets to start the first quarter, West Chester jumped out to a 24-14 first-quarter lead on 50.0 % (10-of-20) shooting from the field, led by 11 first-quarter points from Kozicki.
In the second, West Chester was even more efficient, shooting a blistering 61.1 % (11-of-18) from the field, which allowed the Golden Rams to stretch their lead to as many as 26 with 3:12 to play after a 16-0 run by the Golden Rams, which was sparked by a driving McTamney layup early in the frame.
Kozicki was excellent in the first half, recording her first double-double of the year in just 20 minutes as she poured in 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field to go along with 10 rebounds. McTamney added 13 points of her own on 5-of-10 shooting, including three makes from beyond the arc.
West Chester shot 55.3 % (21-of-38) from the field and 43.8 % (7-of-16) from three-point range while also going 1-for-2 at the free throw line.
For Wilmington, Jasmine McDuffie scored 15 first-half points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a 3-for-4 effort from deep. The Wildcats shot 32.3 % (10-of-31) from the field and 25.0 % (4-for-16) from three-point range. The visitors also went 6-for-9 at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.
West Chester continued its hot-shooting night in the third quarter, shooting an even 60.0 % from the field, outscoring its guests 25-15 in the frame to extend its lead to 75-45 heading into the fourth quarter. McTamney led West Chester in scoring in the third, finishing with 12 points in the frame to help stretch the lead to 30 late in the period.
West Chester continued to control the game in the fourth quarter, extending its lead to 37 points with 1:22 to play to roll to its first victory by a 90-54 final.
Jasmine McDuffie was a bright spot in a challenging game for Wilmington, scoring 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including a 5-for-10 effort from deep, while also corralling seven rebounds.
Wilmington shot north of 40.0 % in the first and third quarters but below 30.0 % in the second and fourth, ending the game shooting 33.3 % (20-of-60) from the field and 26.7 % (8-of-30) from three-point range while also going 6-for-12 (50.0 %) from the line.
West Chester ended the game with a 49-31 lead in rebounding, including a 14-10 edge on the offensive glass, which resulted in a 13-12 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also won the turnover battle by eight (19-11) and outscored the Wildcats 24-9 in points off turnovers.
Wire-to-wire victors, West Chester also ended the game with a 48-14 lead in points in the paint and a 9-3 lead in points off the break.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action this weekend for its first PSAC Crossover weekend of the year at Slippery Rock and Edinboro on Friday and Saturday, with play beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
