SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.- Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) scored a team-high 21 points to record her 1000
th collegiate point as a Golden Ram and held propel West Chester (5-8, 2-4) to a 68-60 victory over Shepherd (4-9, 1-5) to open PSAC East play.
Tonight's victory marks the second time in three seasons that West Chester has opened PSAC East play with a win. It also defeated Mansfield to open the 2023 half of the 2022-23 season.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) scored 19 points of her own, while
Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) scored 11 of her own in the eight-point win. West Chester led by as many as 14 points midway through the fourth quarter but needed a late 14-6 run to leave West Virginia with a win to open PSAC East play and 2025.
West Chester ended the game with a 43.8 % (21-of-48) effort from the field while also going 4-for-14 (28.6 %) from three-point territory. Usually one of the top free-throw shooting teams in Division II, West Chester went 22-for-32 (68.8 %) at the stripe on Friday evening while also ending the game with a 45-36 lead on the glass and a corresponding 8-6 lead in second-chance points and a 26-10 lead in points in the paint.
McTamney and Kozicki both opened East play with double-doubles, finishing with 13 and 12 rebounds each.
Kozicki scored nine first-half points and 12 more in the second half, including nine down the stretch of the fourth quarter to help lead West Chester to the eight-point victory. Kozicki's nine fourth-quarter points also helped the senior forward go over the 1,000-point plateau for her time as a Golden Ram with a late layup, which broke a 54-54 tie and gave the Golden Rams the lead for good.
West Chester opened the game on an 11-1 run and, thanks to seven first-quarter points by Kozicki, held a 13-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
West Chester found itself on the wrong end of an 11-0 run to open the second quarter, suddenly trailing 14-13 with 7:39 to play due in part to back-to-back threes by Cassidy Rhodes.
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland) halted the run with her first points of the new season, which restored a slim 15-14 lead, but West Chester trailed 26-22 heading into the halftime break.
Led by four early points by
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland), West Chester opened the third quarter on a 12-3 run, which erased the halftime deficit and gave the Golden Rams a 34-29 lead. Shepherd continued to battle as the second quarter continued, but West Chester carried a 42-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, West Chester stretched its lead to 14 (49-35) with 8:24 to play after a 7-0 run to open the frame, including a three by
Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield). Shepherd would not go away quietly, answering with a 19-5 run, including a 9-0 spurt with three straight makes from three-point range to storm back and tie the game at 54-54 with under four minutes to play.
Kozicki gave West Chester the late lead with a layup through contact off an inbounds play, which also gave her 1000 points as a Golden Ram after hitting the milestone for her collegiate career earlier in December. This layup and ensuing make at the charity stripe after being fouled on the shot sparked an 8-0 run, including another three-point play by Kozicki, which gave the Golden Rams a late 62-54 lead. Shepherd countered with another 4-0 run, which cut the deficit to 62-58. West Chester held off a late Shepherd charge to escape the Butcher Center with a 68-60 victory.
Kara Wehner led Shepherd in scoring with 24 points, while Cassidy Rhodes added 14 of her own as the upset bid fell short. Wehner also led the team in rebounding with seven, while Samiyah Nasir led the team in assists with five.
Shepherd shot 30.4 % (21-of-69) from the field, including a 12-for-35 (34.3 %) effort from three-point range, while also hitting on 46.2 % (6-of-13) at the free throw line.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Monday night vs Lock Haven beginning at 5:30 p.m.
