WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following back-to-back wins to open PSAC East play, the West Chester University women's basketball team (8-7, 4-5 finds itself embroiled in a two-game losing streak heading into a mid-week clash with Shepherd (3-11, 1-9) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Hollinger Field House.
West Chester vs Shepherd
Game Details: January 21 I 5:30 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 8-7
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
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WCU Links: NEWS I
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Shepherd Links: NEWS I
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Last Time Out
West Chester returns to action well rested after a Saturday bye, looking to halt a two-game losing streak after falling to Bloomsburg on the road on Thursday evening. West Chester found itself behind early against Bloomsburg and, after a seven-minute scoring drought, was down 18 in the fourth quarter. Led by 10 points from
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), who finished with a team-high 17 points, West Chester outscored Bloomsburg 18-8 in the fourth and cut the Husky lead to just six, but it was not enough to come all the way back in a 63-57 road loss. Stein was one of two Golden Rams in double figures in the loss as
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) finished with 11 points and a team-best six rebounds. West Chester shot 38.2 % (21-of-55) from the field in the loss, including a 6-for-14 (42.9 %) in the fourth quarter. West Chester shot just 21.4 % (3-for-14) from three-point range, while also going 12-for-15 (80.0 %) at the free throw line. Led by a 15-point and 10-rebound double-double by Alison Hatajik, Bloomsburg ended the game with a 34-31 lead in rebounding, although West Chester did win the turnover battle by an 18-17 final. Bloomsburg finished the game with a 21-11 lead in points off turnovers, a 40-30 lead in points in the paint, and a 15-7 lead in second-chance points.
Flock Talk
West Chester enters play averaging 64.5 points per game on 41.2 % shooting from the field and 25.5 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 71.9 % from the line. The Golden Rams maintain a slim 17.1-16.6 lead in turnovers, which the team has turned into a 16.6-15.5 lead in points off turnovers. The Golden Rams opponents enter play averaging 61.9 points per game on 37.2% shooting from the field and 24.4% from beyond the arc, which ranks 14th in Division II and second in the PSAC. The Golden Rams foes also hold a slim 38.6-38.5 lead in rebounding, although West Chester maintains a 151-140 lead in second-chance points through 14 Division II games.
Led by
Macie McCracken (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood) and her 10.3 points per game, West Chester's freshman class has made an immediate impact this season as the rookies account for 54.6 % (528-of-967) of the team's points this season, averaging 35.2 points per game through their first 15 collegiate games. Fellow North Wildwood native
Marianna Papazoglou (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) is tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game, while also leading the team in rebounding, averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. Stein leads the starting five in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game of her own and is second in rebounding, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game, while her 1.5 steals per game is tied with Papazoglou for the team lead. Led by McCracken and Papazoglou, West Chester's bench averages 31.3 points per game, which is 11th in Division II and first in the PSAC.
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) leads the team in assists, averaging 2.9 helpers per game, followed by
Kimi Sayson (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional), who averages 2.5 per game. West Chester ranks second in the PSAC in assists per game, averaging 16.1, which is 26th best in Division II.
The Second Unit
WCU ranks 11th in D2 and first in the PSAC in points off the bench, averaging 31.3 per game
The Painters
West Chester holds a 486-404 lead in points in the paint after outscoring their foes in the paint in 24-of-30 (936-522) games a year ago
Home Sweet Home
Despite a narrow home loss to Kutztown last week, West Chester remains hard to beat at home as the Golden Rams are 40-8 at home since January 2023 and are 49-16 since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, including a 27-game home winning streak, which lasted into December 2024 and was for a night the longest home winning streak in Division II women's basketball.
Series History
Riding a six-game winning streak in the series, West Chester holds an 8-7 lead in the series over Shepherd, including a 63-39 win in Hollinger last February after opening PSAC East play with a 68-60 victory over the Rams in Shepherdstown last January. West Chester has not lost to Shepherd since February 2022, when the Golden Rams fell 61-51 in Shepherdstown. The Golden Rams have not lost to Shepherd at home since a 65-47 setback in Hollinger on February 2, 2022.
Scouting Shepherd
Led by 16 points each from Lamaria Estridge and Cassidy Rhodes, Shepherd halted a nine-game losing streak with an 80-62 victory over Mansfield inside the Butcher Center on Saturday afternoon. Shepherd jumped out to a 27-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and outscored its guests in every quarter thereafter to pull away for an 18-point PSAC East victory. Shepherd shot 42.2% (27-of-64) in the victory, including a 10-for-22 (45.5%) effort from beyond the arc, while also going 16-for-19 (84.2%) at the free throw line and finishing the game with a 22-16 lead in the turnover battle.
Shepherd enters play on Wednesday, averaging 65.4 points per game on 38.5 % shooting from the field and 26.1 % shooting from beyond the arc, along with 66.2 % at the free throw line. Estridge leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Kara Wehner is second in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game along with a team-best 2.7 assists per game.
Up Next
West Chester will head back out on the road on Saturday to take on Lock Haven at 1 p.m. before returning home on Tuesday, January 27, to take on Millersville at 5:30 before visiting East Stroudsburg on January 29 for its final road game of January. After this road trip to the Poconos, West Chester will conclude its January slate and begin the second half of PSAC East play on Saturday, January 31, against Mansfield, beginning at 1 p.m.
