WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (11-16, 7-14) fell to East Stroudsburg (17-11, 12-9) on what was Senior Day for the Golden Rams and the 2025-26 season finale by a 59-55 final.
Before Saturday's game, West Chester honored its senior class, which included
Alainna Hopta (York, Pa./West York), Marianna Papazoglou (North Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood Catholic), and
Sofia Coleman (Dresher, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy).
Papazoglou led West Chester in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including three makes from three-point range, along with a team-best eight rebounds.
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) added 14 points of her own along with four assists, which tied Hopta for the team lead.
West Chester shot 35.5 % (22-of-62) in the loss, including a 6-for-18 (33.3 %) from three-point range, while also going 5-for-7 (71.4 %) at the line.
West Chester trailed by 16 late in the third quarter after a 12-0 run to close the quarter before using an 11-0 run to trail by as few as two in the fourth quarter as West Chester outscored its visitors 26-14 in the final stanza to nearly earn a comeback senior day victory.
West Chester shot just 27.8 % (5-of-18) from the field in the first quarter, but a late three-pointer by Papazoglou gave the Golden Rams an 11-10 lead heading into the second.
West Chester led by two just under a minute-and-a-half into the second quarter before East Stroudsburg responded and outscored West Chester 17-13 in the frame to carry a 27-24 lead into the halftime break.
West Chester shot an improved 42.9 % (6-of-14) from the field in the second quarter, finishing the half with a 34.4 % (11-of-32) field goal percentage, while also going 2-for-6 (33.3 %) from three-point range.
East Stroudsburg shot 37.5 % (12-of-32) from the field in the first half, including a 2-for-7 (28.6 %) effort from three-point range, while also going 1-for-2 (50.0 %) at the free throw line.
Brie Droege led ESU and all scorers in the first half with eight points on 4-of-12 shooting, while
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) and Papazoglou tied for the Golden Ram lead in scoring with seven each.
East Stroudsburg outscored West Chester 6-5 through the first five-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter to take a 33-29 lead with 4:19 remaining in the frame. East Stroudsburg extended its lead to what at the time was a game-best seven with three minutes to play in the third before carrying a 45-29 lead into the fourth.
West Chester opened the fourth on an 11-2 run to cut the East Stroudsburg lead to 47-40 with five minutes to play, led by four points from
Ava Mazur (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional), as West Chester capitalized on a number of Warrior turnovers. West Chester continued to frustrate the Warriors' offense, forcing another quick turnover, which immediately translated into a Stein layup to cut the lead to 47-42.
Alivia Mauz (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) got West Chester back to four with a wing three off an assist from
Kimi Sayson (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional), which cut the deficit to 49-45.
Papazoglou got West Chester back to two with a three of her own before a three-point play by Droege restored a 53-48 lead for the Warriors. Papazoglou and the Golden Rams were far from finished as the graduate student hit another big three with just over a minute to play, which cut the lead to 54-51 in a 59-55 setback to the visiting Warriors.
East Stroudsburg shot 37.0 % (20-of-54) from the field in the win, including a 3-for-14 (21.4 %) effort from three-point range, while also going 16-for-22 (72.7 %) at the line.
Droege led ESU and all scorers with 18 points, while Lacie Kringe added 13 of her own in the loss.
East Stroudsburg ended the game with a 42-31 lead in rebounding and a corresponding 17-7 lead in second-chance points.
West Chester finished the game with a 24-19 lead in turnovers, a 19-13 lead in points off turnovers, a 28-26 lead in points in the paint, and an 11-6 lead in points off the break.
Today's game was the 2025-26 season finale for West Chester as the Golden Rams narrowly missed out on a spot in the 12-team PSAC Tournament field that begins next week.
