LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (9-12, 6-8) halted its losing streak in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Rams knocked off PSAC-East leader Lock Haven (14-6, 9-4) by a 58-43 final.
West Chester trailed for only 1:18 early in the first quarter before stretching its lead to as many as 16 (58-42) in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Golden Rams saw two players finish in double figures, led by a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double by
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua). This effort gave the senior forward her 13
th double-double of the year and six in as many games.
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) had another excellent day, scoring 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including three makes from three-point range.
Alainna Hopta (York, Pa./West York) led the team in assists once again, with five helpers against just one turnover while coming away with three steals.
West Chester shot an excellent 44.2 % (23-of-52) from the field, including a 5-for-9 (55.6 %) effort from three-point range as the Golden Rams captured their first win in Thomas Field House since January of the 2023-24 season. Usually one of the best free throw shooting teams in Division II, West Chester shot just 58.3 % (7-of-12) from the line in the victory.
Led by six early points from Kozicki, West Chester jumped out to a 12-8 first-quarter lead after ending the first on a 2-0 run over the final two minutes.
West Chester shot 46.2 % (6-of-13) from the field in the first quarter to take the early four-point lead.
West Chester outscored Lock Haven 8-5 through the first six minutes of the second quarter as Daley scored all eight to give the Golden Rams a 20-13 lead. Lock Haven closed the half on a 9-5 run to cut the Golden Ram lead to 25-22 heading into the halftime break after a late three by Olivia Smith.
At the half, West Chester shot 45.8 % (11-of-24) from the field, including 3-for-5 (60.0 %) from three-point range, and was led by 15 points from Daley, who was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, including a 3-of-3 effort from beyond the arc.
Lock Haven shot 32.0 % (8-of-25) from the field in the first half, including 40.0 % (2-of-5) from deep, and was led by six points each from Jenadia Jordan and Madeline Evans.
West Chester opened the third quarter on a 13-2 run led by six points from
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) as she quickly erased the memory of a scoreless first half. West Chester used this early third-quarter run to carry a comfortable 43-30 lead into the fourth quarter after shooting 53.8 % (7-of-13) from the field out of the halftime break.
Lock Haven outscored West Chester 7-4 through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, which cut the Golden Ram lead to 10 (47-37) before a Kozicki layup stretched the lead back to 12 with 4:45 to play.
McTamney hit a three with 2:58 to play, which stretched West Chester's lead to 52-40 and sparked a 9-2 led by six points from
Bella Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) as the Golden Rams held a commanding 58-42 lead with a minute to play.
Lock Haven scored the game's final points with under 10 seconds to play as Evans went 1-for-2 at the line to increase her total for the day to 14 points, with 10 of those points coming at the free throw line.
Lock Haven struggled mightily offensively throughout the day, shooting just 26.3 % (15-of-57) from the field, including a 23.1 % (3-of-13) effort from beyond the arc, while going 10-for-12 (83.3 %) at the line.
West Chester ended the game with a 36-31 lead in rebounding, which led to a 9-7 lead in second-chance points and a 26-14 lead in points in the paint.
Up Next:
West Chester returns home next week for a pair of home games against Shepherd on Wednesday night at 5:30 and Mansfield on Saturday at 1. Saturday's game against Mansfield will also serve as Senior Day for the Golden Rams.
