SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.-Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) scored 15 points, including 10 in the second half but it was not enough to help the West Chester University women's basketball team (1-4, 0-1) open PSAC Crossover play with a victory as the Golden Rams fell to Slippery Rock (3-2, 1-0) by a 69-56 final on Friday afternoon.
West Chester trailed by just three at the half and led midway through the third quarter, but Slippery Rock outscored the Golden Rams 27-14 over the final 12 minutes to escape with the 13-point victory.
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) was the lone other Golden Ram in double figures, finishing with 11 points in the setback. Kozicki nearly registered her second double-double in as many games as she finished with eight rebounds, while
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) pulled down a team-high nine.
Tahmala Thorpe led Slippery Rock in scoring with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and a 6-for-6 effort at the line was one of four Rock players in double figures in the victory.
Kozicki scored the first points of the game just under two minutes into the first quarter, and this remained the only points until the 6:59 mark when Alyssa Gillin drained a corner three to give the Rock a 3-2 lead. This corner three was the first points of a 10-0 run for the Rock as the hosts pulled out to a 10-2 lead with under five minutes to play in the first quarter.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) halted the run with her first points of the day at the free throw line and helped West Chester cut the deficit to just three (14-11) with 1:13 to play in the first after a
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) three of an assist from
Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield).
With six minutes gone in the second quarter, Slippery Rock had restored a 12-point lead after a Regan Atkins jumper made the score 29-17 and gave her eight points on the after. West Chester answered with a 9-0 run led by four points from
Sofia Coleman (Dresher, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy), which cut the deficit to 29-26 with 1:37 to play in the first half. After this, the Rock halted its two-and-a-half-minute scoring drought when Sophia Hook hit a layup for her first points of the afternoon to make the score 31-26. Kozicki scored the final points of the first half with a layup after grabbing the rebound following a missed jumper by McTamney, which cut the Rock led to 31-28 heading into the halftime break.
West Chester shot 28.1 % (9-of-32) from the field in the first half, including a 25.0 % (2-of-8) effort from three-point range and an 80.0 % (8-of-10) effort at the line. The Golden Rams rebounded well through the first 20 minutes, holding a 23-16 lead in rebounding, including an 11-4 lead on the offensive glass, translating into 13 second-chance points to remain within striking distance.
Slippery Rock shot 41.7 % (10-of-24) from the field and 25.0 % (3-of-12) from three-point range while matching the Golden Rams at the free throw line at 80.0 % (8-for-10).
In the third quarter, West Chester took the lead back midway through the frame and trailed by four at the end of the period after a 6-2 Slippery Rock run in the final two minutes of the frame.
West Chester continued to look for a comeback in the fourth, but the Rock outscored its guests 21-12 in the final 10 minutes to escape with a 69-56 victory over West Chester.
West Chester shot 36.1 % (22-of-61) from the field and 14.3 % (2-of-14) from three-point range in the loss while also shooting 83.3 % (10-of-12) from the line. West Chester also ended the game with a 34-33 lead in rebounding, including a 14-8 lead on the offensive glass, which translated into a 17-10 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 20-13 lead in turnovers, an 18-13 lead in points off turnovers, and a 38-24 lead in points in the paint.
Slippery Rock opened PSAC play with a victory after shooting 46.8 % (22-of-47) from the field and 34.8 % (8-of-23) from three-point range while also 17-for-21 (81.0 %) from the line.
Up Next
West Chester is back in action on Saturday afternoon against Edinboro beginning at 1 p.m. After its matchup against the Fighting Scots, West Chester will return and prepare for its post-Thanksgiving battle with Jefferson in Hollinger beginning at 1 p.m.
