West Chester vs Kutztown
Game Details: January 11 I 2 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 50-37 (W4)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Kutztown Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester (6-9, 3-5) jumped out to an early lead and held a 14-10 lead at the end of the first before ESU stormed back in the second quarter to take a two-point lead into the halftime break. West Chester seemed to restore order in the second half, pulling out to a 14-point lead with under eight minutes to play, thanks partly to a 9-0 run, which spanned the end of the third quarter and the early stages of the fourth. ESU had an answer once more, storming back with a 13-0 run of its own to take a slim two-point lead late. Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) led West Chester in scoring with 26 points, including a late layup, which forced overtime as regulation ended with the two teams tied at 66. West Chester outscored ESU 11-6 in OT, led by five points from Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and 66.7 % shooting from the field to earn the five-point victory. McTamney finished the game on Wednesday with 18 points and eight rebounds and is now just one point shy of scoring her 1000th career point as a Golden Ram entering play on Saturday. Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) scored in double figures for the second game in a row and the fourth time in the last five games, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while also going 2-for-2 at the line to help lead West Chester offensively. As a team, WCU shot 38.5 % (25-of-65) from the field, including 26.3 % (5-of-19) from three-point range, while also going 22-for-24 (91.7 %) at the line.
Flock Talk
Kozicki ranks second in the PSAC in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game, while her 10.0 rebounds per game is fourth best in the league. Anna McTamney is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as she also closes in on her 1000th point as a Golden Ram after scoring her 1000th collegiate point in a November victory over Holy Family. Ranking third on the team in scoring, Bella Mazur has been a great addition to the Golden Ram lineup in her rookie campaign, averaging 9.2 points per game thanks in part to four double-digit scoring efforts in five games and five such efforts in six home games this season. Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) has also proven herself to be a dangerous weapon off the bench for West Chester, averaging 5.1 points per game, including back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts vs Seton Hill and Shepherd earlier this season. The senior leads the team in made three’s with 13 on the year, shooting 31.7 % from deep and averaging at least one maker per game with five makes in East games already this season.
As a team, West Chester averages 67.3 points per game on 39.5 % shooting from the field and 26.0 % from three-point range. West Chester also leads the PSAC and ranks in the top 10 in Division II in free throw shooting, connecting on 81.5 % of its attempts at the stripe, which is sixth best.
Welcome Back
Saturday is also Alumni Day for the Golden Rams as West Chester welcomes back its alumni to see the newest edition of the Golden Rams in action. West Chester also plans to honor the women’s basketball alumni who will be in attendance at halftime of Saturday’s game vs. Kutztown.
Happening Pregame
Before Saturday’s game, West Chester plans to recognize Michelle Kozicki again for scoring her 1000th point as a Golden Ram on Friday night at Shepherd. Kozicki scored 21 in the victory, including 12 in the second half, with 10 of those 12 coming in the fourth quarter.
Chasing 1K…Again
McTamney enters lay on Saturday just one point shy of her 1000th career point as a Golden Ram after scoring a career-high 33 vs Lock Haven on Monday night and 18 at ESU on Wednesday.
Working Late
West Chester’s Wednesday night win over East Stroudsburg was the Golden Rams third OT win in three such games already this season, marking the first time since 2015-16 that West Chester has played three overtime games in one year. Wednesday night’s victory also marked the first time since 2009-10 that West Chester has won three OT games in one year and the first time since 2008-09 that West Chester has won each of its first three OT games of the season.
Getting it Done Inside
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in 11 of 15 games this season, including a 48-14 lead vs Wilmington. WCU has outscored opponents 418 (27.8/g)-268 (17.8/g) in the paint this season.
Second Quarter Troubles
West Chester has struggled mightily in the second quarter this season, being outscored 270-221 while being outscored by just 15 (769-754) in the other three quarters combined, including a 288-278 (+10) lead in the fourth quarter of games.
We’ve Got Options
West Chester has had three or more players score in double figures in each of the last five games and nine games this season. West Chester is 5-1 when three players score in double figures and a combined 6-3 when three or more do so, as the Golden Rams are a surprising 1-2 in games with four players in double figures.
Series History
West Chester will look to stretch its winning streak against Kutztown to five in a row and improve to 51-37 all-time with a critical matchup against the PSAC East rival Golden Bears. West Chester swept three meetings against Kutztown last year, including a 69-42 triumph in the PSAC Tournament in March 2024. West Chester has not lost to Kutztown in Hollinger Field House since February 2022, when head coach Janet Malouf’s charges prevailed by a 75-51 final as part of a five-game winning streak against head coach Kiera Wooden’s Golden Rams.
Scouting Kutztown
Kutztown (6-9, 2-5) enters play on Saturday looking to bounce back from an 80-66 loss at the hands of Shippensburg on Wednesday night after opening East play with a 68-66 win over Lock Haven on January 3. At Shippensburg, Kutztown trailed by eight at the end of the first and 13 at the half and was unable to come all the way back in the 14-point loss despite 23 points by Naia Pulliam and 13 more from Shannon Remolde. Kutztown shot 42.9 % from the field, including a 26.3 % effort from three-point range on Wednesday, but was outrebounded by a 40-28 margin and committed 21 turnovers while forcing only 17. Averaging 63.9 points per game on 39.1 % shooting from the field and 32.1 % from deep, Kutztown is led offensively by Pulliam, who averages 16.3 points per game while also ranking second in rebounding, grabbing an average of 5.0 rebounds per game.
