WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following a crossover weekend split with No. 5 Gannon and Clarion to conclude 2025, the West Chester University women's basketball team (6-3, 2-1) is ready to kick off the New Year with its final two Crossover tests of the season at No. 10 Indiana (Pa.) (10-0, 4-0) and Seton Hill (8-2, 4-0) on January 2 and 3. The Golden Rams game at IUP on January 2 will be a 3 p.m. start, while the Seton Hill game on Saturday will begin at 1 p.m.
West Chester at Indiana (Pa.)
Game Details: Friday, January 2 I 3 P.M.
Location: Kovalchick Convention Center and Athletic Complex (KCAC) (Indiana, Pa.)
Series: 9-18
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
Video I
Tickets
WCU Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
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IUP Links: NEWS I
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West Chester at Seton Hill
Game Details: Saturday, January 3 I 1 P.M.
Location: The Katherine Mabis McKenna Center (Greensburg, Pa.)
Series: 3-4
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
Video
SHU Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
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Last Time Out
West Chester heads into the weekend after splitting its first crossover doubleheader weekend of the season against No. 5 Gannon and Clarion on December 20 and 21 to conclude its 2025 slate in Hollinger. West Chester found itself tied at the half with Gannon on Saturday, and despite career-high 18 and 14 point performances from
Macie McCracken (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood) and
Marianna Papazoglou (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood Catholic/Penn), West Chester was unable to pull the upset, falling to the Golden Knights by an 82-61 final.
On Sunday against Clarion, West Chester found itself locked in a tight game early, trailing by 10 five minutes into the game, and by two at the end of the first quarter after a buzzer-beater. West Chester outscored its guests 23-12 in the second and 21-13 in the third to eventually build a 22-point lead early in the fourth before a late run by Clarion cut the lead to just five. West Chester closed the game out at the free-throw line with a narrow 80-73 victory over the Golden Eagles. McCracken and Papazoglou turned in career-high efforts once again on Sunday, finishing with 24 and 18 points, respectively. West Chester shot 43.9 % (29-of-66) from the field and 44.0 % (11-of-25) from three-point range, while also going 11-for-17 (64.7 %) at the free throw line in the victory.
Flock Talk
West Chester is averaging 67.7 points per game on 43.3 % shooting from the field and 25.7 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 70.5 % from the line. West Chester is holding its opponents to 59.2 points per game on 33.7 % shooting from the field and a 22.2 % from beyond the arc. West Chester holds a 42.3-39.1 rebounding advantage and forces opponents into nearly 17 turnovers per game (16.7), leading to an average of 17.3 points off turnovers.
Individually, McCracken is first on the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game, while
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) is second in scoring, averaging 9.3 points per game. Papazoglou, who is now fourth in scoring, averaging 8.1 points per game after her excellent weekend, is first in rebounding, averaging 4.9 rebounds per game, while
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) is second, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game.
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) is first in assists, averaging 2.7 per game, while Stein leads the team in steals, averaging 1.7 per game.
The McCracken
McCracken has been a revelation for West Chester in recent weeks as the freshman guard has set a new career-high three times in the last four games and scored in double figures in five straight, dating back to a 10-point effort in a win over Jefferson on November 30. Last week, McCracken enjoyed her best week of her young career off the bench for West Chester, as she helped the Golden Rams go 2-1 overall and 1-1 in league action. On Tuesday at Wilmington, McCracken scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, along with eight rebounds and three assists in a dominant 84-35 victory over the Wildcats. On Saturday against No. 5 Gannon, McCracken scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including three makes from beyond the arc, along with four steals and three rebounds in a hard-fought loss to the fifth-ranked Golden Knights. On Sunday against Clarion, the freshman guard set another new career-high for the third time in four games with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including six makes from beyond the arc to help guide the Golden Rams to an 80-73 victory to close out their 2025 slate.
Welcome Back
West Chester is 7-3 in its first game of the New Year against Division II competition under head coach
Kiera Wooden, following a 68-60 win over Shepherd on January 3, 2025.
Road Warriors
West Chester returns to the road once again this weekend for its fourth and fifth road games of the season and the first two of a three-game road trip to open 2026. West Chester is unbeaten on the road against Division II foes with wins over Jefferson (58-54) and Wilmington (84-35) on the year. West Chester's lone road loss came on November 18 at La Salle when the Golden Rams fell to the Explorers by an 83-50 final.
Youth Movement
West Chester is starting three freshmen in 2025 as Stein,
Jordin Tate (Wilmington, Del./Caravel), and
Kimi Sayson (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) all begin their careers as starters for Wooden's Golden Rams. Fellow freshmen McCracken,
Alivia Mauz (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) and Amelia McMichael (Butler, Pa./Butler) are some of the first players off the bench for Wooden this year as well. West Chester has scored 609 (67.7) points on the season, and the Golden Rams' rookie class has accounted for 55.3 % (337) of the team's scoring, averaging 37.4 points per game through their first nine collegiate games.
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 308-208 in the paint through its first eight Division II games of the season.
A Helping Hand
West Chester ranks sixth in Division II in assists per game, averaging 18.0, led by a 2.7 assist per game average from
Ava Mazur.
How About No
West Chester ranks 17
th in field goal percentage defense as the Golden Rams opponents shoot just 33.7 % from the field, including a 22.2 % average from beyond the arc, which is ninth best. West Chester also ranks 12
th in defensive rebounds per game, averaging 30.2 per contest.
Series History
West Chester trails Indiana (Pa.) 18-9 dating back to 1988 as the Golden Rams head to the Crimson Hawks in the midst of a six-game losing streak. West Chester is in search of its first win over the Crimson Hawks since November 2015, when the team invaded IUP and left with a 92-79 victory. The two sides have not met since December 2024, when IUP defeated West Chester 69-53, ending a DII-best 27-game home winning streak for the Golden Rams.
West Chester trails Seton Hill 4-3 in the all-time series following a 78-73 loss in Hollinger last December. West Chester has not won in Greensburg since January 2015, when the team left Seton Hill with a 62-55 victory.
Scouting IUP
Indiana (Pa.) entered the Holiday Break ranked 10
th in Division II women's basketball at 10-0 on the year following a 63-46 victory over Bloomsburg on December 20 and a 56-49 win over East Stroudsburg on December 21 before the Holiday Break. At ESU on Sunday afternoon, IUP led by just one after the first quarter but stretched its lead to eight heading into the half en route to the seven-point victory after a late-game comeback bid by the Warriors came up short. Belle Bosch led IUP in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, while Nyshae Weaver nearly picked up a double-double of her own with nine points and 11 rebounds, along with five steals. IUP shot 36.7 % (22-of-60) from the field, including a 3-for-21 (14.3 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 9-for-19 (47.4 %) at the line.
One of the top offenses in Division II, IUP enters play on Friday averaging 79.6 points per game on 49.8 % shooting from the field and 36.3 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 70.6 % at the free-throw line. The Crimson Hawks hold a 42.3-25.8 rebounding advantage, along with a 19.4-16.8 turnover margin, which has helped the No. 10 team in the Nation average 22.1 points per game off turnovers.
Individually, Weaver is first on the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game, while Teresa Maggio is second, averaging 14.3 points per game. Weaver also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, while Marin Miller is first in assists, averaging 3.6 helpers per game. Maggio is also first on the team in steals, averaging 2.7 per game.
Scouting Seton Hill
Seton Hill enters the Division II Holiday Break at 8-2 overall and 4-0 in league play after a 94-43 win over Mansfield on Saturday and an 85-49 win at Bloomsburg on Sunday afternoon. At Bloomsburg on Sunday, Seton Hill jumped out to a 24-11 lead after the first and led 46-22 at the half en route to the 36-point road triumph. Hallie and Helene Cowan finished the day first and second in scoring with 20 and 18 points, while Mia Kalich added 18 of her own, along with 10 rebounds and 10 steals in the dominant road victory. Seton Hill shot 46.2 % (30-of-65) from the field and 25.0 % (7-of-28) from three-point land, while also going 18-for-19 (94.7 %) at the free throw line.
As a team, Seton Hill heads into its 2026 opener against Kutztown on January 2, averaging 85.3 points per game on 44.7 % shooting from the field and 25.4 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 76.1 % from the line. The Griffins hold a 43.4-39.2 lead in rebounding and hold opponents to 68.8 points per game on 40.8 % shooting from the field and 25.2 % from beyond the arc. Seton Hill also holds a 24.7-19.9 lead in turnovers and averages 26.6 points per game off turnovers.
The Cowans (Hallie and Helene) are first and second in scoring, averaging 18.6 and 16.3 points per game, while Kalich averages 13.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Kalich is also first on the team in assists and steals, averaging 3.9 assists and 4.3 steals per game.
Up Next
Following its final regular season trip to the PSAC West, West Chester will jump into PSAC East play on January 7 with a visit to Mansfield for a 1 p.m. start before returning home to face Shippensburg on Alumni Day on Saturday, January 10, beginning at 2 p.m.
