SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.- Looking to halt a losing streak, the West Chester University women's basketball team (10-12, 6-10) was back in action on Saturday afternoon at Shippensburg (3-20, 2-14), falling to the Raiders by a 67-45 final.
West Chester led early and was down just two at the half, but multiple two-minute-plus scoreless droughts throughout the second half spelled doom as the Raiders earned the 22-point home victory over the Golden Rams.
Thanks in part to a 6-0 run, West Chester held a 13-10 lead after the first quarter as the Golden Rams shot 60.0 % (6-of-10) from the floor in the opening 10 minutes, led by six early points from
Lena Stein (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), who was 3-for-3 to open the game.
West Chester maintained a lead for much of the second quarter but was held scoreless over the final two-and-a-half minutes of the first half, trailing 24-22 heading into the halftime break.
The Golden Rams were 4-for-11 (36.4 %) in the second quarter, heading into the half shooting 47.6 % (10-for-21), including a 0-for-3 effort from three-point range, while also going 2-for-4 from the free throw line.
Shippensburg, led by 10 early points from Mackenzi Thomas, shot 50.0 % (6-of-12) from the field in the second quarter and went to the halftime break shooting 43.5 % (10-of-23) for the game, including a 4-for-11 (36.4 %) effort from three-point range.
Shippensburg stretched its lead in the third quarter, jumping out to a 10-point (38-28) lead with 2:35 to play in the frame before carrying a 43-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
After leading by 12 late in the third, Shippensburg stretched its lead back to 11 early in the fourth before extending the advantage to 17 (53-36) with seven minutes to play. The Raiders continued extending their lead, holding a 59-38 lead with under six minutes to play en route to a 67-45 victory over the Golden Rams.
Stein led West Chester with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, along with seven rebounds, while
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and
Sofia Coleman (Dresher, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy) finished with eight and seven, respectively.
West Chester shot below 40 % once again, shooting 39.2 % (20-of-51) from the field, including a 0-for-10 effort from three-point range, while also going 5-for-8 (62.5 %) at the line.
Michelle Olak, who West Chester limited to four points in the first half, finished with 23 on 9-of-10 shooting along with 19 from Thomas and 16 from Melana Eyer. Olak also led the team in rebounding with eight.
Shippensburg shot 52.0 % (26-of-50) from the field and 8-for-16 (50.0 %) from three-point range, while also going 7-for-11 (63.6 %) from the line.
West Chester trailed 33-25 in rebounding, and Shippensburg finished the game with a 7-4 advantage in second-chance points and a 34-32 lead in points in the paint. Led by seven from Coleman, West Chester did manage to outscore the Shippensburg bench 14-2.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action at home on Wednesday against Bloomsburg, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
