SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (10-13, 6-11) heads into play on Wednesday night in need of a road win over Shepherd (9-13, 7-10) to not only halt a four-game losing streak but also to keep its PSAC Tournament hopes alive down the stretch of the regular season. Opening tip inside the Butcher Center is set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
West Chester at Shepherd
Game Details: February 18 I 5:30 P.M.
Location: Butcher Athletic Center (Shepherdstown, W.V.)
Series: 9-7
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Last Time Out
West Chester heads into play on Wednesday night well-rested after another Saturday bye following a 58-52 loss to Bloomsburg in Hollinger last Wednesday evening.
Kimi Sayson (Oceanport, N.J/Shore Regional) led West Chester in scoring with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, but it was not enough for the Golden Rams to hold off the visiting Huskies. West Chester held a five-point (14-9) lead after the first and trailed by one heading into half, but was outscored 15-13 in the third and 15-12 in the fourth as Bloomsburg held on for the victory. The Golden Rams cut the deficit to three with 1:40 to play, but did not score again until there were under 20 seconds to play in regulation, which allowed the visiting Huskies, led by 14 points from Madison Maynard, to depart Hollinger with a six-point win. West Chester shot 33.3 % (21-of-63) from the field in the loss, including a 4-of-13 (30.8 %) from three-point range, while also going 6-for-14 (42.9 %) at the stripe.
Flock Talk
West Chester enters play on Wednesday night averaging 61.9 points per game on 40.1 % shooting from the field and 25.0 % shooting from beyond the arc, along with 70.7 % shooting at the free throw line, an average which is down from recent years when the Golden Rams ranked among the league leaders at the stripe. West Chester holds a slim 37.7-37.6 lead in rebounding and trails by just -0.2 (17.0-16.8) in turnovers, despite averaging 10.1 steals per game, led by 1.7 per game from
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley). Stein also leads West Chester in scoring and rebounding, averaging 9.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Sayson remains first on the team in assists, averaging 2.7 of the Golden Rams 15.5 assists per game.
Macie McCracken (North Wildwood, N.J/Wildwood) and
Marianna Papazoglou (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) are second and third in scoring, averaging 8.4 and 8.3 points per game, while Papazoglou is also second in rebounding, averaging 5.0 rebounds per game.
Youth Movement
West Chester's rookie class continues to be a driving force in the offense, averaging 33.3 points per game, accounting for 767 of the team's 1,424 points (53.9 %) this season.
The Second Unit
Averaging 28.7 points per game, West Chester's bench remains first in the PSAC in scoring and is 19
th in Division II. Union (Tn) continues to lead the nation in points off the bench, averaging 37.8 per game.
The Playoff Push
Entering the final two weeks of the regular season, West Chester sits seventh in the PSAC East standings; however, only three of the six spots are known, as Lock Haven, Kutztown, and East Stroudsburg have clinched spots in the PSAC Tournament. West Chester will go for a season sweep of Shepherd on Wednesday night, which, if the Golden Rams can complete, would go a long way toward helping the Golden Rams return to the PSAC Tournament once again in 2026. All four of the Golden Rams' scheduled opponents over the next two weeks have either clinched a playoff spot or are fighting alongside West Chester for one of the last three available spots.
Series History
After a 71-59 victory over Shepherd in Hollinger earlier this season, West Chester has now won seven in a row against the Rams and holds a 9-7 lead in the all-time series. West Chester has not lost to Shepherd since February 2022, when the Golden Rams fell 61-51 in Shepherdstown.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd enters play on Wednesday on a four-game winning streak, which has seen the Rams improve to 9-13 overall and 7-10 in PSAC East play, which, if the postseason began today, would be good enough for the sixth and final spot in the field. Shepherd extended its winning streak with a 76-62 win at Mansfield on February 14 after defeating Shippensburg (72-57), East Stroudsburg (74-68), and Millersville (79-54) since February 2. At Mansfield on Saturday, Shepherd trailed by one after the first but outscored its hosts 24-9 in the second to take a 14-point lead into the halftime break and never trailed again in the 14-point victory. Kara Wehner led Shepherd with 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including five makes from beyond the arc, while Lamaria Estridge finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Trinity Turner was the third and final Ram in double figures, finishing with 16 points along with five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. As a team, Shepherd hsot 42.4 % (28-of-66) from the field, including a 56.3 % (9-of-16) effort in the second quarter, while also going 7-for-23 (30.4 %) from three-point range and 13-for-17 (76.5 %) at the line.
For the season, Shepherd enters play averaging 66.2 points per game on 38.9 % shooting from the field and 30.0 % shooting from beyond the arc, while also shooting 69.0 % at the free throw line. The Rams hold a +4.5 lead in turnovers, averaging 11.5 steals per game, but do trail 42.4-35.4 (-7.0) in rebounding, despite Estridge averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. Estridge also leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game, followed by Wehner, who averages 14.6 points along with a team-best 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Up Next
West Chester will return to action at home on Saturday against Lock Haven, beginning at 1 p.m., before visiting Millersville for its final road game of the regular season next Wednesday and concluding the season against East Stroudsburg at home on Saturday, the 28
th.
