BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (8-6, 4-4) will look to get back in the win column and improve to 4-3 away from home on Thursday night when the Golden Rams renew their rivalry with Bloomsburg (8-6, 4-3) in Nelson Field House beginning at 5:30 p.m.
West Chester at Bloomsburg
Game Details: January 15 I 5:30 P.M.
Location: Nelson Field House (Bloomsburg, Pa.)
Series: 42-47
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Last Time Out
West Chester concluded its homestand on Tuesday night with a hard-fought 49-46 loss to Kutztown in Hollinger Field House. West Chester struggled mightily from the field in the loss, shooting just 24.1 % (14-of-58) from the field, including a 6-for-23 (26.1 %) effort from three-point range. With its best shooting quarter of the night coming in the third, a 3-for-10 (30.0%) effort, West Chester was led by 12 points from
Marianna Papazoglou (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood Catholic), who led all scorers in the loss with 12 points and nine rebounds. Despite a difficult night from the field, West Chester still found itself tied at 46-46 with under a minute to play after a Papazoglou layup and had a chance to force overtime as time expired with Kutztown leading by just three. Led by nine points from Olivia Smelas, Kutztown shot just 32.7 % (16-of-49) from the field and was also 6-for-23 from three-point range, while going 11-for-15 (73.3 %) at the line in the narrow win over the upset-minded Golden Rams. West Chester did finish the game with a 16-9 lead in turnovers and a 14-5 lead in points off turnovers, along with a 16-14 lead in points and in the paint, and a 10-6 lead in points off the bench with a 15-10 lead in offensive rebounds.
Flock Talk
Following its loss to Kutztown on Tuesday night, West Chester will look to get back in the win column and avoid its second losing streak of 2026 against Bloomsburg on Thursday night. West Chester enters play on Thursday averaging 65.0 points per game on 41.4 % shooting from the field and 25.7 % shooting from three-point range, while also connecting on 71.4 % at the free throw line. West Chester holds a slim advantage in both rebounding (+0.1) and turnovers (+0.5), thanks in part to Papazoglou's 5.2 rebounds per game and
Macie McCracken (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood) and her 1.6 steals per game. McCracken also leads the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game, while Papazoglou is second, averaging 9.7 points per game, along with 8.5 per game from
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley). Stein is also second in rebounding and steals, averaging 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) leads the team in assists, averaging 3.0 per game.
A Helping Hand
West Chester ranks 25th in Division II and first in the PSAC in assists per game, averaging 16.5.
The Second Unit
West Chester's bench ranks 11
th in Division II in scoring, averaging 32.6 points per game, which is also the best in the PSAC. Union in Tennessee leads the nation in scoring off the bench, averaging 43.4 points per game.
Youth Movement
West Chester has scored 910 (66.5) points on the season, and the Golden Rams' rookie class, led by McCracken, has accounted for 53.5 % (487) of the team's scoring, averaging 34.8 points per game through their first 14 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 456-364 in the paint through its first 13 Division II games of the season.
Series History
West Chester trails Bloomsburg 47-42 in the all-time series after dropping both games to the Huskies last winter, ending a two-season, four-game winning streak. West Chester's last win over Bloomsburg came in March 2024 when the team posted a 64-48 win in Hollinger. The Golden Rams' last win in Bloomsburg was in January 2024, when the team left Nelson Field House with a 67-45 victory, improving to 15-26 all-time at Bloomsburg.
Scouting Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg enters play on Thursday as winners of two in a row after defeating Shippensburg last Wednesday and East Stroudsburg on the road on Tuesday by a 71-68 final. At ESU, Bloomsburg trailed by 13 at the half but outscored its hosts 43-29 in the second half, including 22-13 in the fourth quarter, to erase the early deficit and post an important 71-68 victory over the Warriors. Bloomsburg shot 47.2 % (25-of-53) from the field, including an 8-for-21 (38.1 %) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 13-for-18 (72.2 %) at the line. The Huskies also finished the game with a 34-31 lead in rebounding, including a 10-8 lead on the offensive glass. Maddie LaFrance led Bloomsburg in scoring with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including three makes from beyond the arc as one of four Husky starters in double figures. Ava Stevenson chipped in 14 of her own along with five rebounds and four assists, while Maddison Maynard and Alison Hatajik added 11 and 10, respectively.
For the year, Bloomsburg enters play on Thursday averaging 59.9 points per game on 40.8 % shooting from the field and 30.2 % shooting from beyond the arc, along with a 35.4-35.0 advantage in rebounding. Bloomsburg's opponents average 61.7 points per game on 40.4 % shooting from the field, including a 26.7 % effort from beyond the arc, although the Huskies do trail 16.4-15.7 in the turnover battle entering Thursday night's game. Hatajik leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Kelly Leszcynski is first on the team in assists, averaging 4.6 helpers per game.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday evening at home against Shepherd, beginning at 5:30 p.m., before visiting Lock Haven next Saturday at 1 p.m.
