WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead the West Chester University women's basketball team (2-2) to a 64-36 victory over California (Pa.) (3-5) on Sunday afternoon in Hollinger Field House.
Sunday's game, while against a PSAC West rival, was scheduled as a non-league game for West Chester as the Golden Rams will not officially open Crossover play until Saturday, December 6, against Pitt-Johnstown.
West Chester shot just over 50.0 % (50.9 %; 27-of-53) from the field in the victory, including a stellar 81.8 % (9-of-11) from the field, as the Golden Rams never trailed and led for all but 30 seconds in the 28-point victory over the Vulcans. This victory is the Golden Rams' largest margin of victory over the Vulcans in the 30-game season series between the two teams.
Stein started her big day with a driving layup 30 seconds into the game after a floater by
Kimi Sayson (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) and a pair of jumpers by
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland) and
Jordin Tate (Wilmington, Del./Caravel), West Chester held a comfortable 8-3 lead four minutes into the game. Jalasia Hull cut the lead to 8-5but this sparked a 5-0 run, led by three points from Tate, which gave West Chester a 13-5 lead with four minutes to go in the opening quarter. The Golden Rams continued their outstanding first-quarter effort down the stretch, taking a 20-7 lead into the second after an old-fashioned three-point play by
Alivia Mauz (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown).
After closing the first quarter on a 5-0 run, West Chester opened the second on a 7-3 run, including the first three-pointer of the game for the Golden Rams by Mauz to take a 27-10 lead with six minutes to play until halftime. Back-to-back layups by Stein and a
Marianna Papazoglou (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) layup gave West Chester a 24-point (37-13) lead with under a minute to play in the first half. The Vulcans scored the final points of the first half with a three-point play by Kennedy Bankett, but this only cut the lead to 37-16 heading into the halftime break.
After its 9-of-11 effort in the first quarter, West Chester was 7-for-17 (41.2 %) from the field in the second quarter to shoot 57.1 % (16-of-28) from the field in the first half, including a 1-for-4 (25.0 %) effort from deep and a 4-for-5 (80.0 %) effort from the free throw line. Stein led all scorers in the first half with 10 quick points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Blankett and Alicia Young led Cal with four points each.
West Chester cooled off a bit in the third, mustering just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field and a 4-for-4 effort at the line, but the Golden Ram defense remained stout, limiting the Vulcans to just 13 points to carry a 45-29 lead into the fourth quarter.
Papazoglou scored the first four points of the fourth quarter on back-to-back layups in the first 90 seconds of the quarter before the Vulcans responded with a 5-0 run of their own, including a Trinity Balog three-pointer to cut the lead to 49-34. West Chester countered and closed out the game on a 15-2 run led by eight points from Stein and seven from
Macie McCracken (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood) as she entered the game and went 3-for-4 with a made three to help West Chester close out a dominant victory over California (Pa.) in non-league action.
West Chester shot 64.3 % (9-of-14) from the field in the fourth quarter to shoot 50.9 % (27-of-53) for the game, including a 2-for-8 (25.0 %) effort from deep, while also going 8-for-9 (88.9 %) at the free throw line.
Stein was one of two Golden Rams in double figures as Papazoglou matched her career-high with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, along with seven rebounds, five steals, and three assists. The graduate student also set new career-highs in rebounding, steals, and assists in the victory.
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) led the team in rebounding with eight, while adding six points along with a steal and a block.
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) led the team in assists with six.
Bankett led Cal in scoring with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field as the visitors shot just 20.9 % (14-of-67) from the field, including a 2-for-14 (14.3 %) effort from three-point range and a 6-for-11 (54.5 %) effort at the free throw line.
West Chester finished the game with a 45-36 lead in rebounding, which helped the team finish with a 42-22 lead in points in the paint. Despite losing the turnover battle 17-14, West Chester also ended the game with a 17-8 lead in points off turnovers and a 6-2 lead in points off the break.
Papazoglou's 10 points combined with seven from McCracken and six from Mauz helped West Chester's bench outscore the Cal bench 23-8 in the victory.
Up Next
West Chester will not play again until after Thanksgiving when the team visits Jefferson for another non-league test against the perennial CACC Power Rams at 1 p.m. on November 30.
