The West Chester University women’s basketball team (12-12, 8-8 PSAC) remained home on Saturday afternoon for the middle game of its three-game homestand against PSAC East-leading Kutztown (13-10, 11-5 PSAC). The Golden Rams used a dominant third quarter, which carried over into the fourth to knock off the PSAC East-leading Golden Bears by a final score of 64-53.
The Basics:
Final Score: WCU 64 Kutztown 53
Records: WCU (12-12, 8-8 PSAC) Kutztown (13-10, 11-5 PSAC)
Location: Hollinger Field House-West Chester, Pa.
How it Happened:
The first quarter was the definition of a low-scoring affair as both sides struggled to get going from the field in the early going, thus, sending the game to the second quarter locked at 10-10.
In the second quarter, the two sides traded baskets before Kutztown went on an 11-0 to claim a 28-20, which would be the Golden Bears largest lead of the game. This impressive run enabled Kutztown to carry a 32-25 lead to the halftime break.
In the third quarter, West Chester was dominant as the Golden Rams outscored their guests 21-9 highlighted by a buzzer-beating heave from Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) to give the Golden Rams a 46-41 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Seemingly spurred by the momentum of the buzzer-beating three to end the third, West Chester started the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run over the course of the opening four minutes of play to take a commanding 55-43 lead halfway through the final stanza. From this point forward the teams traded baskets and short runs, which allowed West Chester to earn the 64-53 victory over its rivals. Golden Ram Rundown:
Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led all-scorers with a game-high 17 points while Troisi was close behind with 13 points of her own. Destiny Jefferson (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) finished with 11 points of her own while Rylee Power (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) registered 10 points as well to mark the third time in the last four game that Power has scored in double-figures.
Power also tied her career-high in rebounding as she came away with nine rebounds for the second game in a row while also tying with Troisi and Katherine Fisher (Rutledge, Pa./Strath Haven) for the team lead in assists.
As a team, West Chester ended the contest shooting 36.7 % (22-of-60) from the field while also shooting 23.1 % (3-of-13) from three-point range and 77.3 % (17-for-22) from the line. West Chester also ended the game with a dominant 44-29 (+15) edge in rebounding. The Golden Rams also finished with a six-point advantage in points off turnovers (15-9) and commanding (16-3) edge in second-chance points.
The Playoff Picture:
With this victory, West Chester now sits third in the PSAC East by virtue of Shippensburg being off this afternoon.
Up Next:
West Chester will conclude its three-game homestand on Wednesday evening against Mansfield.