CHARLESTON, W.V.- Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) and
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) scored 17 points each as two of four Golden Rams in double figures but it was not enough to help the West Chester University women's basketball team (0-1) start the season with a win as the Golden Rams fell to West Virginia State (1-0) by a 96-68 final on Saturday night in West Virginia.
Daley set a new career-high for scoring in the setback, connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field, including three from three-point range, while also knocking down a pair of free throws in the setback.
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland) scored 10 points and tied with Kozicki and Daley for the team lead in rebounding with seven in her collegiate debut. At the same time,
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) added 11 of her own in the setback.
West Chester battled early, trading points with West Virginia State through the early going before back-to-back made threes by Shanley Woods took a 10-9 WVSU lead and turned it into a 16-9 lead in the span of just 20 seconds, forcing a Golden Ram timeout. This sparked a WVSU run, which saw the Yellow Jackets carry a 38-21 lead into the second quarter.
West Chester opened the second on a 13-3 run over the first five minutes to cut the deficit to 41-34, but the Yellow Jackets closed the half on a 12-5 run to carry a 53-39 lead into the halftime break.
In the first half, Kozicki led West Chester in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, while McTamney chipped in nine points of her own on 2-of-5 shooting and went a perfect 5-for-5 at the line.
West Chester shot 42.4 % (14-of-33) from the floor in the first half, including a 2-of-14 (14.3 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also 9-for-10 at the free throw line. West Virginia State shot 42.9 % (18-of-42) from the field but was 11-for-22 from deep and 6-for-6 at the line to build its first-half advantage.
To start the second half, West Chester found itself on the wrong end of a 27-13 third-quarter performance, which allowed West Virginia State to carry an 80-52 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, West Chester started the frame on an 8-2 run through the first four-and-a-half minutes of the period, but the Yellow Jacket outscored West Chester 14-8 down the stretch to secure the 96-68 victory on Saturday night.
West Virginia State had three players in double figures in the victory, led by a 26-point effort from Shanley Woods, as she hit 9-of-10 from the field, including an 8-for-9 effort from three-point range in the win.
West Chester shot 37.1 % (23-of-62) from the field in the loss, including a 5-for-21 (23.8 %) effort from three-point range while also going 17-for-23 (73.9 %) at the line. The Golden Rams did end the game with a 45-44 lead in rebounding, which they were able to translate into seven second-chance points but 43 turnovers and a subsequent 43-20 deficit in points off turnovers proved costly in the loss.
WVSU shot 40.0 % (32-of-80) from the field and 39.0 % (16-of-41) from three-point range while also connecting on 16-of-21 (76.2 %) at the line in the victory.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action tomorrow for its second game of the weekend in West Virginia. It will play host Charleston (W.V.), which opened its season with a victory over Shepherd earlier on Saturday evening.
