WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After a dominant 49-point victory over Wilmington on Tuesday night, the West Chester University women's basketball team (5-2, 1-0) is set to return to league action this weekend with a pair of important PSAC West Crossover matchups against No.5 Gannon (10-1, 2-0) and Clarion (6-2, 1-1) on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. West Chester will host Gannon on Saturday at 1, then Clarion on Sunday at 1, for its final game of 2025.
West Chester vs #5 Gannon
Game Details: Saturday, December 20 I 1 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 3-8
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West Chester vs Clarion
Game Details: Sunday, December 21 I 1 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 14-11
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Clarion Links: NEWS I
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Fan Information
Similar to West Chester football games, West Chester basketball games will be cashless events this season. Ticket prices remain the same at $10 for general admission adult tickets and $5 for students (K-12) and seniors (+65), with WCU students with a current, valid ID admitted free of charge. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to arriving at Hollinger via this
link. Fans are also reminded that WCUPATIX.com is the only authorized online ticket seller for WCU Athletics regular-season events.
Last Time Out
West Chester stretched its winning streak to four in a row on Tuesday night with a dominant 84-35 victory over Wilmington on the road, led by 12 points from
Lena Stein as one of three Golden Rams in double figures.
Macie McCracken and
Ava Mazur added 11 points each in the near wire-to-wire victory. West Chester never really struggled in the win, carrying a three-point (12-9) lead into the second quarter and a 10-point (31-21) lead into the halftime break. West Chester outscored its hosts 53-14 in the second half to pull away and post its largest win since an 82-27 drubbing of Shepherd during the 2023-24 season. West Chester shot 41.7 % (30-of-72) from the field in the victory and 28.0 % (7-for-25) from beyond the arc, while also shooting 81.0 % (17-of-21) from the free throw line. West Chester is now just one win shy of matching its longest winning streak from last season of five games after dropping two of three to open the season.
Flock Talk
West Chester enters play averaging 66.9 points per game on 43.2% shooting from the field, including a 20.9 % effort from beyond the arc. West Chester is 2nd in Division II in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 30.9 % shooting from the field and just 16.8% from beyond the arc, which is the nation's best. West Chester is also 21st in the Nation in points allowed, limiting opponents to 54.0 points per game, thanks in part to 31.7 defensive rebounds, 11.7 steals, and 4.3 blocks. WCU ranks sixth in the Nation in defensive rebounds per game, 50th in steals, and 30th in blocks.
Lena Stein leads the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game, and is tied with
Jordin Tate and
Marianna Papazoglou for first on the team in rebounds per game, averaging 5.0 per game.
Kimi Sayson and
Ava Mazur are tied for the team lead in assists, averaging 2.7 per game.
Youth Movement
West Chester has scored 468 (66.9/g) points on the season, and the Golden Rams' rookie class (led by Stein) has accounted for 56.2 % (263) of the team's scoring, averaging 37.6 points per game through their first seven collegiate games.
Home Sweet Home
Defeating West Chester in Hollinger has become a herculean task in recent years, as West Chester is 47-14 (.770) in Hollinger since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, including the 27-game home winning streak that continued into mid-December a year ago.
A Helping Hand
West Chester ranks 10th in Division II in assists per game, averaging 17.6 assists per game. The Golden Rams are also 36th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.01 on the season.
The Painters
After outscoring opponents in the paint in 24-of-30 games last year (936-522), West Chester is right back at its old tricks this season, outscoring opponents 248-144 in the paint through its first six Division II games of the season.
Second Chances
West Chester is outrebounding opponents by a 44.3-39.7 (+4.6) margin this season. This rebounding edge has helped West Chester hold an 80-49 lead in second-chance points through its first six Division II games, including an 18-7 advantage on 11/30 at Jefferson.
How About No
West Chester is second in Division II in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 30.9 % shooting from the field and just 16.8% from beyond the arc, which is the nation's best. West Chester is also 21st in the Nation in points allowed, limiting opponents to 54.0 points per game, thanks in part to 31.7 defensive rebounds, 11.7 steals, and 4.3 blocks. The Golden Rams also rank sixth in the Nation in defensive rebounds per game, 50th in steals, and 30th in blocks.
Series History
West Chester is 3-8 against Gannon since January 2011, when the series started with a win for the Golden Rams by a 71-66 final in Erie. West Chester lost the next four after that and picked up its second win over the Golden Knights in West Chester in November 2016 before earning its third and most recent win over the Golden Knights in December 2022. West Chester fell to Gannon twice during the 2023-24 season, falling to the Golden Knights (86-71) in Erie in December 2023 before falling to the Golden Knights in the PSAC Semifinals by a79-73 final in March of that season.
West Chester is 14-11 all-time against Clarion with wins in each of the last four meetings, including an 83-56 win over the Golden Eagles in Hollinger in 2023.
Scouting #5 Gannon
Gannon enters play on a nine-game winning streak after opening PSAC Crossover play with wins over Shepherd (68-51) and Kutztown (70-48) on December 6 and 16. At home against Kutztown on Tuesday night, Gannon led by just one at the half but outscored the Golden Bears 23-12 in the third quarter and 18-8 in the fourth to pull away in the second half for the 70-48 victory. Gannon shot 45.5 % from the field in the victory, including a 7-for-19(36.8%) effort from beyond the arc as Bri Claxon scored a team-high 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field. Jordan Popyk and Maddy Wheatley joined Claxon in double figures with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
As a team, Gannon enters the weekend averaging 66.5 points per game on 39.9 % shooting from the field and 28.3 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 78.8 % at the free throw line. Gannon's opponents average just 48.1 points per game on 30.1 % shooting from the field and 25.4 % from three-point range.
Claxon leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game, while Wheatley and Popyk are tied for the team lead in rebounding, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. Kate Ratliff leads the team in assists, averaging 2.7 helpers per game.
Scouting Clarion
Clarion enters the weekend on a two-game losing streak after falling to Felician (79-76) and East Stroudsburg (78-73) after opening Crossover play with a 79-71 victory over Millersville on the road on December 6. These two losses were the first setbacks of the year for the Golden Eagles, as Clarion was an impressive 6-0 heading into its December 9 clash with Felician. Against ESU, Clarion held a seven-point lead at the half but fell victim to a late-game comeback, with Bri Droege and Lacie Kringe each scoring 16 points as the Warriors outscored their hosts 47-35 in the second half to earn the comeback victory. Zoe Bayer led Clarion in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting as the Golden Eagles shot 36.5 % (23-of-63) from the field, including a 7-of-26 (26.9 %) effort from beyond the arc.
One of the top offensive teams in the PSAC, Clarion enters play this weekend averaging 79.9 points per game on 39.5 % shooting from the field, including a 31.1 % effort from beyond the arc, while also shooting 72.5 % at the free throw line. Clarion's opponents average 69.3 points per game on 30.9 % shooting from the field and just 20.9% shooting from beyond the arc.
Zoe Guice leads the team in scoring (18.1/g), assists (3.3/g), and steals(4.7/g), while sophomore guard Alyssa Terza is first in rebounding, averaging 7.9 rebounds per game. Before matching up with West Chester on Sunday afternoon, Clarion will look to halt its losing streak against Kutztown on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Up Next
West Chester will not play again until a January 2 visit to Indiana (Pa.) for the first of a two-game road trip, which will also include a visit to Seton Hill on January 3 before opening East play against Mansfield on January 7 at 1 p.m.
