West Chester vs Millersville
Game Details: February 26 I 5:30 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 52-48 (L1)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Ville Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester suffered its first loss since January 29 on Saturday afternoon at Bloomsburg by a 71-55 final. This setback halted a five-game winning streak for West Chester, the season's longest streak for head coach Kiera Wooden’s charges. West Chester fell behind by 12 in the first quarter and could never fully come back in the 16-point loss as the Golden Rams trailed by as many winning as 22 with just under six minutes to play in regulation after an 11-0 Husky run. West Chester shot just 37.7 % (20-of-53) from the field, including an 0-for-10 effort from three-point range, while also going 15-for-23 (65.2 %) at the line. Bloomsburg shot an impressive 44.4 % (24-of-54) from the field, including 50.0 % (10-for-20) from three-point range, while also going 13-for-15 (86.7 %) at the charity stripe. Despite the loss, Michelle Kozicki led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 13 rebounds for her team-best 17th double-double of the year, which ranks third in Division II women’s basketball heading into the final week of the regular season.
Flock Talk
Kozicki ranks second in the PSAC in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game, while her 10.6 rebounds per game are fourth best in the league. The senior forward has 17 double-doubles to her name, including 10 in 11 games, which ranks her in a tie for third in D2 in double-doubles while also ranking second in the PSAC. Emily Chmiel of ESU leads the PSAC and D2 in double-doubles with 21. Kozicki has also scored 35 points twice since December 17, becoming the first player to score 35 or more twice in the same season since Leah Johnson, who, along with Mitzi Reitnouer, are the only two Golden Rams to accomplish this feat. Anna McTamney is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. McTamney is seventh in the league in scoring, making West Chester the only team in the PSAC East and one of just two in the league to place two players in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Erin Daley has turned in an excellent stretch of basketball for West Chester since a career-high 19 points vs. Kutztown on 1/11; Daley has scored in double figures six times in 11 games, including four of the last six, which includes an 18-point effort in the win at Lock Haven on February 1. The sophomore forward is now averaging 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game heading into the final weeks of the 2024-25 regular season.
As a team, West Chester averages 65.8 points per game on 39.8 % shooting from the field and 26.5 % from three-point range. West Chester also leads the PSAC and ranks fifth in Division II in free throw shooting, connecting on 79.0 % of its attempts at the stripe.
Home Cooking
West Chester is 43-13 (.767) at home since November 2021, and to take it a step further, the Golden Rams are 37-6 (.860) at home since November 22, which includes the team’s 27-game winning streak at home, which was halted in December after starting in January 2023.
Playoff Picture
Heading to the PSAC Tournament for the ninth time in 10 seasons, West Chester is currently part of a log jam of teams in the middle of the PSAC standings, jockeying for a home PSAC Tournament game when the Tournament gets underway on March 3. With a win, West Chester would put itself in the driver's seat for a home First Round game by virtue of wins over Lock Haven and Kutztown earlier this season, along with a season sweep of East Stroudsburg.
Working Inside
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in 21 of 26 games this season, including a 48-14 lead vs Wilmington in its home opener. WCU has outscored opponents 802 (30.8/g)-458 (17.6/g) in the paint this season.
Series History
West Chester holds a slim 52-48 lead in the all-time series vs Millersville, which dates back to a 1969 61-52 setback at the hands of the Marauders. West Chester has won eight of 10 against Millersville, including four of the last five, with the lone two exceptions being a January 2020 loss at Millersville and a loss in Pucillo earlier this year. West Chester has not lost to Millersville in Hollinger since a 69-68 setback in February 2012 when Allison Hostetter was one of three Golden Rams in double figures with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
Scouting Millersville
Millersville (15-11) enters the last week of the regular season in a similar position to the Golden Rams, knowing its season will continue in the PSAC Tournament next week but knowing where that game will be on Monday, March 3 is an open question. The Marauders also enter play on Wednesday following a Saturday loss, which saw the team fall to Lock Haven by a 54-47 final. Only one Marauder (Rhyan Mitchell) scored in double figures as the sophomore forward finished with 10 points off the bench. Freshman forward Bryn Zentner led the team in rebounding with seven in the loss. Millersville shot 38.8 % (19-of-49) from the field and 16.7 % (2-of-12) from three-point range while also being outrebounded 41-28 and losing the turnover battle by an 18-13 margin.
Kali March leads Millersville in scoring this year, averaging 15.8 points per game, while Brenna Ortwein is first in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. March is also first on the team in assists, averaging 3.7 helpers per game as the Marauders average 63.4 points per game on 41.3 % shooting from the field and 30.4 % from beyond the arc while also outrebounding teams 38.8-38.1 on the year.
