WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Cheser University women's basketball team (8-11, 5-7) nearly pulled off an impressive comeback victory over Bloomsburg (13-6, 7-5) on Saturday afternoon, but the Huskies closed the game out at the line to escape Hollinger with a 70-61 victory over the Golden Rams.
West Chester finished with three in double figures led by 25 points and 10 rebounds from
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) and 16 points along with 10 more rebounds from
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), while
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) added 11 of her own on 5-of-6 shooting.
West Chester trailed by as many as 13 midway through the second quarter, but thanks to an 8-0 run to open the second half got back to within two points midway through the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, a two-point deficit was as close as West Chester was able to come down the stretch as Bloomsburg went 9-for-10 at the line in the final two-and-a-half minutes, overcoming a second half, which saw the Huskies shoot just 6-for-20 (30.0 %) from the field between the third and fourth quarters to escape with a nine-point victory.
West Chester ended the game shooting 41.7 % (25-of-60) from the field, going 2-for-14 (14.3 %) from three-point range and 9-of-12 (75.0 %) from the free-throw line.
West Chester held an 8-7 lead with 6:15 to play in the first quarter before the Huskies went on an 8-0 run to take a 15-8 lead and prompt a quick Golden Ram timeout midway through the opening quarter. Bloomsburg stretched its lead to 21-10 before West Chester countered with a 7-2 run to trail by just six (23-17) heading into the second.
Bloomsburg outscored West Chester 11-6 through the first five-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter to take a 34-23 lead as the game approached halftime. West Chester continued to battle as the second quarter continued, trailing 43-30 at the halftime break after shooting 48.3 % (14-of-29) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Kozicki led West Chester in scoring with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting, which was second among all scorers, trailing only Leah Kale, who scored a first-half high 15 points for Bloomsburg on 4-of-7 shooting, including three makes from distance.
Bloomsburg shot 46.4 % (13-of-28) from the field, including 8-of-16 (50.0 %) from three-point range, while also 9-for-10 (90.0 %) at the line.
West Chester opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 43-38, led by five points from McTamney, as she reached double figures with five minutes to play in the third. Just before the under-five media timeout with 4:08 to play, Bloomsburg scored its first points of the half on a layup through contact and finished off the three-point play at the line to take a 46-38 lead. West Chester stayed within eight points throughout the third quarter, trailing 50-43 with 1:05 to play when Bloomsburg was forced to call a timeout to retain possession of a loose ball in the back court. On the ensuing inbounds play, West Chester got a steal and turned it into two points to cut the deficit to 50-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
West Chester outscored its guests 10-7 through the first five-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, led by eight points from Kozicki to pull back to within two (57-55). West Chester remained within two points late, trailing 61-59 with 2:33 to play. This was as close as West Chester could get as the Huskies closed the game out at the free throw line, going 9-for-10 at the stripe in the final minutes and 11-for-12 in the fourth quarter to escape with a 70-61 victory.
West Chester neutralized one of the most explosive scorers in the PSAC East on Saturday afternoon, holding Katelin Starr to just four fourth-quarter points and no assists. Leah Kale, Kelly Lesczysnki, and Ava Stevenson made up for this for Bloomsburg, finishing with 19, 16, and 16, respectively.
Bloomsburg shot just 39.6 % (19-of-48) from the field, including 10-for-25 (40.0 %) from three-point range after hitting just two threes in the second half. The Huskies also went 22-for-25 (88.0 %) at the line, including 13-for-15 in the second half.
Despite the loss, West Chester ended the game with a 36-31 lead in rebounding, including a 12-8 lead on the offensive glass, which resulted in an 11-6 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 44-14 lead in points in the paint and a 27-10 lead in points off turnovers after winning the turnover battle 18-17.
Points off the bench was a key factor on Saturday afternoon as the Huskies outscored West Chester 24-3 in this category, led by 16 points from Stevenson.
Up Next:
West Chester will travel to Millersville on Wednesday night and Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon next week.
