West Chester at Millersville
Game Details: March 3 I 5:30 P.M.
Location: Pucillo Gymnasium (Millersville, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video I Tickets I Tournament Central
Series: 53-48 (WCU 4-1 in last 5)
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Ville Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester looks to bounce back from a 63-57 loss in its regular-season finale at Kutztown on Saturday afternoon. West Chester trailed by 10 at the end of the first quarter and 14 at the half after shooting sub 30.0 % in both the first and second quarters before finding its stride in the second half. West Chester shot 46.2 % from the field in the third quarter before shooting 44.4 % in the fourth to nearly come all the way back and knock off the regular season champs. Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) led the Golden Rams in scoring with 17 points, while also corralling 11 rebounds for her 18th double-double of the year. West Chester shot 35.6 % (21-of-59) from the field, including 23.5 % (4-of-17) from three-point range, while also going 11-for-12 (91.7 %) at the free throw line. West Chester ended the game with a 12-10 lead in turnovers and an 11-8 lead in points off turnovers, while also finishing the game with a 10-7 lead in second-chance points.
Follow Their Lead
Kozicki and McTamney remain the only duo in the PSAC East to average in double figures, averaging 20.8 and 15.2 points per game, to rank second and seventh in the league in scoring, respectively. Kozicki, who has 18 double-doubles to her name, including 11 in the last 12 games, which remains third best in Division II women’s basketball, ranks fourth in the league in rebounding, averaging 10.6 rebounds per game. After a second-half performance on Wednesday night against Millersville, which saw her score all of her team-leading 22 points, Kozicki has scored in double figures in all 28 games this season, while McTamney has scored in double figures in 24 of 28 games and led the team in scoring on five occasions. To take things a step further, Kozicki has scored 35 or more in a single game twice this season, making her just the third Golden Ram to do so (Leah Johnson 2022-23; Mitzi Reitnouer 1981-82) while also becoming the first player to do so since Leah Johnson.
We Love Free Stuff
West Chester is tied for sixth in Division II and remains first in the PSAC in free throw percentage, connecting on 79.1 % at the line this season. WCU has hit over 70.0 % in 22 of 28 games and 80.0 % or better in 14 of 22, including a perfect 5-for-5 effort at SHIP on 2/12 and a 91.7 % effort vs ESU.
Working Inside
West Chester has outscored its opponents in the paint in 22 of 28 games this season, including a 48-14 lead vs Wilmington in its home opener. This season, WCU has outscored opponents 860 (30.7/g)-496 (17.7/g) in the paint.
Scoring Depth
After Wednesday night’s victory, which saw four Golden Rams finish in double figures, West Chester is now 13-4 in games in which three or more players score in double figures. The Golden Rams are 9-2 in games that see exactly three players score in double figures, including victories over California, East Stroudsburg, and Shippensburg earlier this season. In addition to the regular contributions of Kozicki and McTamney, West Chester can look to Erin Daley and Bella Mazur for excellent scoring depth. Since a career-high 19 points against Kutztown earlier this season, Daley has scored in double figures seven times in 13 games, including five of the last eight, which includes a pair of double-doubles. With this, the sophomore forward is now averaging 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Mazur, a rookie guard from South Jersey, has scored in double figures 12 times in her rookie season, including a 17-point effort on Wednesday night against Millersville, as she averages 9.1 points per game to rank third on the team in scoring.
Second Quarter Woes
The second quarter continues to be a house of horrors for West Chester as the Golden Rams find themselves being outscored 474-387 in the second quarter, while outscoring opponents 438-441 in the first, 461-407 in the third, 522-485 in the fourth, and 35-17 in three OT wins this season.
Playoff History
West Chester is making its ninth PSAC Tournament appearance in 10 seasons. Under Wooden, West Chester is 7-8 in the PSAC Tournament with five PSAC Semifinal appearances, including a Conference Championship game appearance at the end of Wooden’s first season at the helm in 2014-15.
Series History
West Chester holds a slim 53-48 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 nine of 10 against Millersville, including four of the last five, with the two lone exceptions being a January 2020 loss at Millersville and a loss in Pucillo earlier this year. West Chester wrapped up its home regular season slate last Wednesday night with a 76-58 victory, led by 22 points from Kozicki on 8-of-13 shooting as one of four Golden Rams in double figures.
Scouting Millersville
Millersville (16-12, 11-11) used a big fourth quarter, which saw the Marauders outscore their guests 17-7 to stretch a slim six-point lead after three quarters into a dominant 67-51 Senior Day victory over Shepherd, which eventually led to the Marauders earning the fourth-seed in the PSAC Tournament. Brenna Ortwein led Millersville in scoring with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Kali March and Makiah Shaw finished with 11 and 10 on 4-of-8 and 5-of-13 shooting, respectively. Ortwein also led the Marauders in rebounding with seven boards in the victory. Millersville shot 51.9 % (28-of-54) from the field, including a nearly perfect 7-for-8 in the fourth quarter, while also going 7-for-12 (58.3 %) from three-point range. The Marauders were also 4-for-6 from the line, including a 3-of-4 effort at the stripe in the fourth quarter.
Millersville enters the PSAC Tournament on Monday night, averaging 63.3 points per game on 41.4 % shooting from the field and 30.9 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 69.9 % at the free-throw line. The Marauders' opponents average 58.0 points per game on 34.2 % shooting, including a 27.0 % effort from beyond the arc. Millersville holds a slim 38.5-37.7 lead in rebounding, while the Marauders do trail slightly (17.2-17.1) in rebounding.
Individually, March and Shaw are first and second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 and 12.4 points per game, while Ortwein is third, averaging 7.9 points per game. Ortwein is first on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.6 per game, while Bryn Zenter is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.3 per game. March and Ortwein are first and second on the team in assists, averaging 3.6 and 2.8 per game.
With a Win
With a victory, West Chester will advance to the PSAC Quarterfinals for the third year in a row after earning a bye into the Quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons. West Chester would advance to the home of the top-seeded Kutztown University Golden Bears for a 5:30 quarterfinal on Wednesday evening.
