PHILADELPHIA- Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) scored 20 points, including her 1000
th collegiate point, but it was not enough to help lead the West Chester University women's basketball team (3-7) to an upset victory over Chestnut Hill (5-7) on Sunday as the Golden Rams fell by a 65-47 final.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) was the lone other Golden Ram in double figures as she finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds after scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field in the second half.
Kozicki became the latest Golden Ram to join the 1,000-point club this afternoon as she entered play just 15 points away from scoring her 1,000
th collegiate point. The senior forward is also now just 77 away from her 1,000
th career point as a Golden Ram, as she scored 82 of these 1,000 points early in her career at La Salle.
West Chester finished the game shooting 29.0 % (18-of-62) from the field, including 28.6 % (4-of-14) from three-point range, while also 7-for-10 (70.0 %) at the free throw line.
For its part, Chestnut Hill was led by 20 points from Bridie McCann as she hit 7-of-15 from the field while also grabbing seven rebounds as the lone Griffin in double figures.
Chestnut Hill shot 37.9 % (25-of-66) from the field, including 30.8 % (8-of-26) from three-point range, while matching West Chester with a 7-for-10 effort at the free throw line.
Kozicki scored seven of her nine first-half points in the first quarter, which helped West Chester carry a narrow 11-8 lead into the second after
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) scored the final points of the first quarter on a fast break layup off a steal with 36 seconds to play in the quarter.
West Chester and Chestnut Hill continued trading baskets in the second as West Chester held a slim 18-17 lead with 3:55 to play until halftime when Kozicki scored her final basket of the first half off an assist from Mazur. Unfortunately, this layup was the final score of the first half for West Chester as Chestnut Hill closed the half on an 11-0 run, including a late three by Caleigh Edwards with just three seconds to play to carry a 28-18 lead into the halftime break.
Kozicki led West Chester in scoring in the first half with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, including one make from three-point range to go along with a pair of makes at the free throw line. Kozicki was second on the team in rebounding in the first half, corralling six, while
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) came away with seven.
West Chester shot just 21.9 % (7-of-32) from the field in the first half, including a 2-for-7 (28.6 %) effort from three-point range and 2-for-4 at the free throw line. Chestnut Hill shot only slightly better, shooting 34.4 % (11-of-32) from the field, including a 4-for-12 (33.3 %) effort from three-point range and 2-for-4 at the stripe.
Bridie McCann led Chestnut Hill in scoring in the first half with seven points, while Caleigh Edwards, Siobhan Boylan, and Tiayo Adelekan all finished with five points through the first 20 minutes.
West Chester was outscored 11-5 through the first seven minutes of the third quarter, trailing 39-23 with three minutes to play in the third quarter. West Chester battled back as the third quarter continued but trailed 45-34 heading into the fourth despite eight third-quarter points from McTamney.
Early in the fourth quarter, West Chester stretched its lead to as many as 20 with 7:16 to play. Kozicki etched her name in history with 6:45 to play when she hit a driving layup of a missed three to score her 1,000
th collegiate point and cut the deficit to 56-38, which also sparked a 9-4 Golden Ram run as Kozicki hit another layup along with a layup by
Alainna Hopta (York, Pa./West York) and a three by
Sofia Coleman (Dresher, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy), which cut the deficit to 60-45 with just under four minutes to play. The Golden Rams ill-fated comeback attempt continued down the stretch as the Griffins held off their visitors for a 65-47 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Chestnut Hill ended the game with a 45-41 lead in rebounding, including a 36-31 lead on the defensive glass, while outscoring West Chester 15-4 in second-chance points.
Hopta finished with seven points and tied for the team lead in assists with Mazur with three each. Mazur and McTamney tied for the team lead in steals with two each.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Tuesday afternoon at Pitt-Johnstown beginning at 1 p.m. This game will serve as the non-league finale for the Golden Rams as the PSAC works to balance the Eastern and Western Division schedules following the unexpected departure of Mercyhurst in the Summer.
