WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (9-9, 5-7) returns home on Saturday to take on Mansfield (2-18, 0-13) in the first game of the second half of PSAC East play, with opening tip set for 1 p.m. in Hollinger Field House.
West Chester vs Mansfield
Game Details: January 31 I 1 P.M.
Location: Hollinger Field House (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 71-11
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Mansfield Links: NEWS I
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Happening Pregame
Saturday is Parents' Day in West Chester, the annual day in which the Golden Rams pause pregame to recognize the families of all the players for their contributions and support of the Golden Rams throughout their careers and the 2025-26 season.
Last Time Out
West Chester was in action on Thursday night at East Stroudsburg, falling to the Warriors by a 75-57 final as the Golden Rams were doomed by a 25-9 third-quarter effort by the host Warriors. West Chester led early and for much of the first quarter before finding itself down one at the half after a late three. West Chester struggled mightily from the field in the second half, including an early scoreless drought, which allowed the Warriors to take a 54-37 lead into the fourth quarter. West Chester tried to battle back but found itself down 22 midway through the fourth in a 75-57 setback to the Warriors, who were led by a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double by Brie Droege.
Kimi Sayson led West Chester in scoring with 13 points as she matched her career high as the lone Golden Ram in double figures. West Chester shot just 31.5 % (17-of-54) from the field, including a 19.0 % (4-of-21) from three-point land, while also going 19-for-25 (75.0 %) at the line.
Flock Talk
West Chester enters play on Saturday averaging 63.6 points per game on 41.1 % shooting from the field and 25.6 % shooting from beyond the arc, while also shooting 72.4 % at the free throw line. West Chester trails by -0.4 (37.8-37.4) in rebounding and by -0.6 in turnovers, despite averaging almost 10 (9.7) steals per game heading into the final month of the regular season.
Macie McCracken leads West Chester in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game, while
Lena Stein and
Marianna Papazoglou are tied for second, averaging 9.1 points per game each. Stein is also first on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.6 per game, while Papazoglou averages 5.2 per game. Thanks at least in part to the combined efforts of McCracken and Stein, who combined to average 19.1 points per game, West Chester's rookie class accounts for over 55 % of the team's offense, scoring 631 of the Golden Rams 1,145 points this season. As a whole, West Chester's rookie class is averaging 35.1 points per game, which also helps the team rank 13th in Division II and first in the PSAC in points off the bench per game, averaging 30.2 points (10.0 from McCracken alone).
Ava Mazur and
Kimi Sayson are first and second on the team in assists, averaging 2.7 and 2.6 helpers per game, while Stein also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.6 steals per game.
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 574-486 in the paint through its first 17 Division II games of the season.
Don't Panic but…
West Chester would love nothing more than a win on its home court on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Rams enter play on a two-game losing streak with losses in four of five and six of nine since the calendar turned to 2026. Despite this trend, West Chester remains sixth in the PSAC East and just a game out of a tie for fourth with Millersville and Bloomsburg (6-6) as the second half of East play begins on Saturday.
Home Sweet Home
Despite a narrow home loss to Kutztown earlier in January, West Chester remains hard to beat at home as the Golden Rams are 41-8 at home since January 2023 and are 50-16 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
West Chester holds a 71-11 lead in the all-time series over Mansfield dating back to 1982 after a 72-66 win in Mansfield on January 7 to open PSAC East play. West Chester is 8-2 in its last 10 games against Mansfield and is going for its first season sweep of the Mounties since the 2023-24 season after splitting the series last winter. West Chester has not lost to Mansfield in Hollinger since a 72-65 loss in January 2006. Led by 26 points from
Marianna Papazoglou and 15 from
Macie McCracken, West Chester held off Mansfield down the stretch for a hard-fought 72-66 victory in Mansfield earlier this season. West Chester shot 44.8 % (26-of-58) from the field, including a 34.8 % (8-of-23) from three-point range, while also going 12-for-15 (75.0 %) at the line in the win.
Scouting Mansfield
Mansfield enters play on Saturday afternoon following a 90-66 loss to Kutztown for its 13th loss in a row. Mansfield found itself down seven after the first and down 14 at the half, and this deficit was far too much to overcome in an eventual 24-point loss to the homestanding Golden Bears. KJ Gordon led Mansfield in scoring with 17 points, while Jenna Kasmierski had 15 points and 12 rebounds, along with 11 points from Katie Sheeler and 13 off the bench from Amiyah Nguyen. Mansfield shot 31.8 % (21-of-66) from the field in the loss, including a 12-for-33 (36.4 %) effort from three-point range, while also going 12-for-16 (75.0 %) at the free throw line.
Despite Sheeler ranking among the league leaders in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game, Mansfield enters play on Saturday averaging just 59.5 points per game on 32.8 % shooting from the field and 24.4 % from beyond the arc, while also shooting 71.9 % at the free throw line. The Mounties trail in rebounding (41.8-36.6; -5.2) and turnovers (20.9-17.2; -3.7), and average just 10.7 assists and 8.6 steals per game. In addition to her scoring, Sheeler is first on the team in assists and steals, averaging 2.7 helpers and 2.7 steals per game, while ranking second in rebounding, averaging 4.4 per game, trailing only Ty Woody's 5.0 rebounds per game.
Up Next
West Chester will be right back in action on Monday night against Millersville, beginning at 5:30 p.m., before venturing to Kutztown and Shippensburg on February 4 and 7 at 5:30 and 1 p.m., respectively.
