The Shippensburg University women's basketball team dropped a 73-59 decision at West Chester on Saturday in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division match at Hollinger Fieldhouse.
Shippensburg (7-10, 4-7 PSAC) opened the game making its first nine field-goal attempts but still trailed by one point, 23-22, with 2:42 left in the first quarter as West Chester (8-9, 5-5) started out 9-of-11 from the field.
The issue for the Raiders proved to be two significant scoring droughts from which they ultimately could not overcome. SU was held without a point for the next 8:51; the subsequent 14-0 WCU run put the hosts ahead 37-22 with just four minutes before halftime.
After the two teams combined for 53 points in the first quarter, there were only 19 combined points in the second quarter as the squads shot a collective 7-of-32 (21.9 percent) from the field. A 10-0 SU run got the Raiders back within five, but a WCU three-pointer just six seconds before the intermission gave the Golden Rams a 40-32 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was even (15 points each). The fourth quarter opened with a 7-0 Raider run. The score was 59-57 with 5:26 to go, but West Chester held SU scoreless for the next 4:42 – ultimately closing the game on a 14-2 run to win by double digits.
Senior
Abbie Miller endured a physical game and finished with her third double-double of the season – scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds. Miller added a team-high three steals and two assists. She combined with sophomore
Alexis Buie for eight of the team's 14 offensive rebounds.
Senior
Taja Colbert played all 40 minutes for the third straight game and led the Raiders with 15 points – her 11th game in double figures this season. Sophomore
Mia Johnson scored 14 points; she was 3-of-6 from three-point range.
West Chester capitalized with 22 points off 21 Raider turnovers and made it count at the free-throw line, shooting 85 percent (22-of-26) at the charity stripe. Michelle Kozicki led all scorers with 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to post a double-double. Anna McTamney and Bella Mazur combined for 30 points. The Golden Rams had nine of their 14 assists in the first quarter.
Shippensburg returns to action at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lock Haven.
