West Chester at Pitt-Johnstown
Game Details: December 17 I 1 P.M.
Location: Sports Center (Johnstown, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 6-15 (WCU 3-2 in last five)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
UPJ Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester entered Sunday hoping to get back in the win column at Chestnut Hill. West Chester led early, but a late first-half cold snap spelled doom as the Golden Rams fell by a 65-47 final. West Chester led by three at the end of the first and by one (18-17) with under four minutes to play until halftime but found itself outscored 11-0 down the stretch to trail 28-18 heading into the halftime break. The Golden Rams worked to battle back in the second half but trailed by 20 early in the fourth and could never come all the way back in the 18-point setback. Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) scored a game-high 20 points, including her 1000th collegiate point, while Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) turned in a hard-charging 10 points and 10 rebounds, scoring eight of her 10 points in the second half. West Chester struggled mightily from the field on Sunday, hitting just 18-of-62 attempts from the field (29.0 %) and 28.6 % (4-of-14) from three-point range while also going 7-for-10 at the line. The Golden Rams also found themselves on the wrong end of the rebounding (45-41) and turnover (13-9) battles.
Flock Talk
Sunday’s loss dropped West Chester to 2-2 in December and 3-7 on the year after opening the month with impressive wins over Jefferson and California (Pa.) in Hollinger Field House. West Chester averages just under 65 (64.8) points per game on 38.1 % shooting from the field and 26.2 % from beyond the arc while also hitting 81.1 % at the line, which ranks in the top 10 in DII women’s basketball. West Chester is also even with its opponents in rebounding as the Golden Rams and their foes average 38.7 rebounds per game, while the Golden Rams maintain a slim (+0.5) advantage in the turnover battle, forcing opponents into an average of 18.8 turnovers per game. The Golden Ram defense has been key this season, holding opponents to 69.9 points per game on 40.4 % shooting from the field and 31.5 % from deep, along with nearly 19 turnovers per game.
Kozicki ranks fourth in the PSAC in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game, while her 9.9 rebounds per game is also fourth best in the league and third best in the PSAC East. McTamney is close behind, averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game after picking up her first double-double of the year on Sunday afternoon. Fellow Plymouth-Whitemarsh graduate Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) is tied for third on the team in scoring, averaging 7.5 points per game,w while also ranking third in rebounding, averaging 5.1 per game and second in assists, averaging 2.4 per game.
A Scheduling Oddity
Tuesday afternoon’s game will count as a non-league game for West Chester while serving as a league game for UPJ. Fans will notice oddities in the Golden Rams league/non-league splits for the remainder of the season. The game must be officially designated as a league game in NCAA Statistical software to properly count for the Mountain Cats. This oddity, which impacts two other Eastern Division teams (Millersville & Shepherd), was born out of necessity following the sudden departure of Mercyhurst, which created an imbalance in the Eastern/Western Divisions for at least the 2024-25 season.
History Made
Midway through the fourth quarter, Kozicki became the latest Golden Ram to score her 1,000th-collegiate point with a driving layup off a missed three with just under seven minutes to play in the setback at Chestnut Hill. Kozicki’s 1000 points include her two seasons at Division I La Salle; she is under 80 (77) points away from scoring her 1000th point as a Golden Ram.
We Like Free Stuff
West Chester ranks ninth in Division II in free throw percentage, hitting 81.1 % of its attempts at the charity stripe this season.
Road Woes
West Chester is 0-6 in games played away from Hollinger Field House this season, including yesterday's 65-47 setback at Chestnut Hill. West Chester has shot 40.0 % from the field or better away from home only once this season, with that occurrence coming in a 75-67 loss at Edinboro in late November. Yesterday, West Chester shot 29.0 % from the field in its setback at Chestnut Hill.
West Chester will also look to halt a disappointing streak in road crossover games as the Golden Rams have not won a road game against a PSAC Western Division foe since a 70-51 road win over Clarion in January 2023, which was the Golden Rams first road crossover victory since a November 2019 victory at Clarion.
Series History
West Chester trails Pitt-Johnstown 15-6 in the all-time series despite winning three of the last five meetings, including a 62-54 victory in West Chester in December 2021.
Scouting UPJ
Pitt-Johnstown enters play with a record of 1-9 overall and a mark of 0-4 in league play after dropping its most recent crossover game to Millersville by a 76-38 final on December 7. The Mountain Cats were in action over the weekend as they visited Colgate for an exhibition game on Saturday afternoon, falling to their DI hosts by a 71-46 final.
At Millersville on December 7, UPJ suffered its sixth loss in a row by 38 points after finding itself down 23 (28-5) after the first 10 minutes. Millersville jumped out to an early 28-5 lead and outscored its guests in every quarter, including 20-11 in the fourth to close out the 76-38 victory. Belle Bosche was the lone bright spot for UPJ in this loss, scoring 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting as the Mountain Cats shot just 25.9 % (15-of-58) from the field and 15.4 % (2-of-13) from three-point range while also going 6-for-11 (54.5 %) at the free throw line. UPJ shot below 25.0 % in the third and fourth quarters and just 12.5 % in the first, hitting just 2-of-16 from the field in the first 10 minutes.
For the year, UPJ enters play averaging just 57.5 points per game on 38.5 % shooting from the field and 34.3 % from three-point range while also hitting 73.8 % at the free throw line. The Mountain Cats also trail 34.8-33.2 in the rebounding battle and 24.5-18.2 in the turnover battle. Offensively, opponents average 70.5 points per game on 42.9 % shooting despite shooting just 28.6 % from beyond the arc.
Individually, Bosch has been a bright spot for UPJ, averaging 15.3 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game to lead the team in both categories. Riley Childress leads the team in assists, averaging 4.1 helpers per game, while ranking second in scoring, averaging 8.2 points per game.
