WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting while also grabbing a season-high 16 rebounds but it was not enough to lead the West Chester University women's basketball team (3-6, 1-3) to its 28
th home victory in a row as RV/18 Indiana (Pa.) (IUP) left Hollinger with a 69-53 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Today's setback is the Golden Ram's first home loss since January 11, 2023, when the team fell to Shippensburg by an 83-70 final. Prior to seeing its win streak halted, West Chester found a way to match the longest active home winning streak in DII women's basketball. With today's loss, Harding is once again alone atop the chart at 27 games pending its matchup on December 12.
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) scored eight points, while
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) finished with seven points each.
West Chester and IUP traded makes early as the Crimson Hawks held a slim 10-8 lead with 4:45 to play in the first quarter. West Chester battled back to tie the score at 15-15 late in the first before scoring the final points of the quarter on a buzzer-beating jumper to take a 17-15 lead into the second.
IUP opened the second on a 6-0 run to make the score 23-15 in favor of the Crimson Hawks and force a WCU to take an early timeout. The Crimson Hawks stretched their lead to 10 (25-15) before West Chester answered with an 8-0 run, which saw the Golden Rams tie the game at 27-27 after a
Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) jumper. IUP closed the half on another 8-0 run to take a 35-27 lead into the halftime break after scoring on a jumper as time expired to end the half.
Kozicki registered a double-double in the first half, scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting while also grabbing 10 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, while Nyshae' Weaver scored 13 of her own in the first half.
West Chester shot 31.3 % (10-of-32) from the field in the first half, while IUP shot 51.7 % (15-of-29) from the first, including a 4-for-9 (44.4 %) from three-point range.
IUP outscored West Chester 15-11 in the third to carry a 50-38 lead into the fourth.
IUP stretched its lead to 16 with six minutes to play in the fourth and led 60-45 with five minutes to play. The Crimson Hawks continued to play well down the stretch, leading by as many as 17 with 4:23 to play en route to the 69-53 victory over the Golden Rams.
West Chester shot just 28.1 % (18-of-64) from the field and did not make a three in the loss, going 0-for-15 from deep and 17-for-22 (77.3 %) at the line.
IUP shot 51.9 % (27-of-52) from the field, including a 7-for-19 (36.8 %) effort from three-point range, while also going 8-for-13 (61.5 %) from the line.
Nyshae' Weaver led IUP in scoring with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, along with 13 rebounds for a double-double. Grace Centrulla and Shamia Strayhorn finished with 13 points each.
Despite the loss, West Chester ended the game with a slim 38-37 lead in rebounding and a 20-4 lead in second-chance points while also finishing with a plus-seven (18-11) lead in turnovers and a 14-6 lead in points off turnovers.
West Chester and IUP each scored 30 points in the paint, while the Crimson Hawk bench outscored West Chester 16-10.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on December 15 at Chestnut Hill beginning at 1 p.m.
