West Chester at Slippery Rock
Game Details: November 22 I 3 P.M.
Location: Morrow Field House (Slippery Rock, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch I Tickets
Series: 14-12
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
ROCK Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
West Chester at Edinboro
Game Details: November 23 I 1 P.M.
Location: McComb Field House (Edinboro, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch I Tickets
Series: 7-18
BORO Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester enters play with a dominant 90-54 triumph over Wilmington in Hollinger on Monday night. West Chester never trailed and led by as many as 37 late in the fourth quarter, thanks partly to an 18-0 second-quarter run, which gave the Golden Rams a 50-30 lead at the half. West Chester shot north of 50.0 % in the first three quarters, including 60.0 % or better efforts in the second and third quarters, led by 25 points from Anna McTamney and a 24-point/14-rebound double-double from Michelle Kozicki. Bella Mazur also had a breakout day on Monday night, scoring 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from three-point range.
Flock Talk
West Chester earned its first win of the year with a complete effort on Monday night against Wilmington. Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) and Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) rank first and second on the team and fifth and seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 19.5 and 19.0 points per game through four games. Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) is third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.8 points per game, while also leading the team in steals, averaging 3.3 per game, and ranking second in rebounding, averaging 5.8 per game. Kozicki leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.0 rebounds per game, which is eighth best in the PSAC heading into the first Crossover weekend.
As a team, West Chester is averaging 67.8 points per game on 39.8 % shooting from the field and 27.4 % from beyond the arc while also shooting a solid 81.0 % from the line. West Chester holds a slight 40.8-39.5 lead in rebounding and averages 22.0 turnovers per game while forcing opponents into an average of 21.2 per game.
Opponents average 71.0 points per game on 38.3 % shooting from the field and 32.5 % from beyond the arc. West Chester has not allowed over 70 points in any of its last three games after yielding 96 points in a season-opening loss against West Virginia State.
Bella Can Ball
Bella Mazur had a career day on Monday night against Wilmington, scoring 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Her 15 points were the most by a true freshman since Alexa Abbonizio scored 22 against Shippensburg in February 2022. Her 15 points were the most by a true freshman in the first month of their rookie season since WCU Career-Leading scorer Leah Johnson scored 16 against Urbana in her Collegiate Debut.
Opening Weekend Success
West Chester has won at least one game of its opening crossover weekend (6-2) dating back to the 2019-20 season. West Chester swept its opening weekend for the second year in a row last year after defeating Mercyhurst and Gannon in 2022 and Rock and Edinboro in 2023.
Cleaning it Up
West Chester has won or tied in every other game after losing the turnover battle 43-27 in its season opener. After losing the turnover battle 43-27 in its season opener, West Chester has won or tied in turnovers every other game, including a 20-15 victory over Charleston and a 19-11 advantage vs Wilmington on Monday.
Working in the Paint
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in three of four games this season, including a 48-14 lead on Monday night. The lone game in which West Chester was outscored inside was the season-opener at West Virginia State (30-26), when WCU committed a season-high 43 turnovers. This season, WCU has outscored opponents 128 (32.0/g)-48 (12.0/g) in the paint.
Road Warriors
This weekend will be West Chester's fifth and sixth road games of the year, as the Golden Rams had only one home game on their November calendar. West Chester will open a three-game December homestand on Sunday, December 1, vs. Jefferson before facing Cal and IUP in Hollinger on December 6 and 7 as part of a four-home game month.
Series History
West Chester will look to open PSAC Crossover play with a pair of victories this weekend as the team heads West to take on Slippery Rock on Friday at 3 p.m. and Edinboro on Saturday at 1 p.m. West Chester holds a 14-12 lead in the all-time series over Slippery Rock after halting a three-game losing streak with an 83-51 victory over the Rock in Hollinger last December. All three matchups prior to this had been decided by a basket or less, with two of those being one-point games (including an OT loss in Hollinger in 2019-20). West Chester has not won at Slippery Rock since December 2016. Against Edinboro, West Chester halted a four-game losing streak last year with a 79-55 victory in Hollinger for the Golden Rams first win over the Fighting Scots since an 80-68 win in December 2015. West Chester has not beaten Edinboro in Edinboro since December 2002, when the team won by a 79-60 final. The Golden Rams trail Edinboro 7-18 in the all-time series.
Scouting Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock enters the weekend at 2-2 on the year after a 69-69 victory over Salem in its last time out. Averaging 72.0 points per game and holding opponents to 67.5 points per game on 47.6 % and 39.9 % shooting, respectively, Slippery Rock shot a solid 52.2 % from the field in its victory while also hitting on 19-of-27 at the free throw line. The Rock was tied after 10 (13-13) and 20 (25-25) minutes of action but used a 20-13 third-quarter run to take a lead into the fourth and hold on for the 10-point win. Junior forward Kayley Joseph-Bernard led the Rock in most major categories in the victory, scoring 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals in the 10-point triumph.
Regan Atkins leads Slippery Rock in scoring and rebounding this year, averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while Joseph-Bernard remains first on the team in assists and steals, averaging 4.5 and 1.3 per game. As a team, Slippery Rock averages 36.3 rebounds and 18.8 turnovers per game, limiting its chances for extra possessions as the Rock shows a -0.5 margin in rebounding and a -1.3 margin in turnovers.
Scouting Edinboro
Edinboro enters play against Kutztown on Friday night with a record of 3-1 on the year after falling 80-74 to Findlay over the weekend. The Fighting Scots found themselves down 13 after the first quarter and, despite a 20-point game from Hayley Sims, could not come back, falling by an 80-74 final. Edinboro shot 41.8 % from the field and 35.0 % from three-point range in the loss while also connecting on 11-of-15 at the free-throw line. ‘Boro also found itself on the wrong end of a 44-28 deficit in the rebounding battle. T
For the year, Edinboro averages 74.3 points per game and allows an average of 64.5 while shooting 44.1 % from the field and 29.2 % from three-point range. Averaging just 35.3 rebounds per game, the Fighting Scot defense has been effective this season, forcing opponents into nearly 22 (21.3) turnovers per game through the first four games.
Sims leads Edinboro in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game, while Gabby McDuffie is first on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game to go along with her 10.0 points per game, which is third best on the team. Morgan Gentile is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game and distributing an average of 3.8 assists per game.
