Speller’s Big Day Sparks a Fourth Quarter Run to Down Slippery Rock, 85-78
Slippery Rock, Pa. – Jr., Guard Porscha Speller (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) produced a career high 27 points as the Golden Rams went on a 19-7 run in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter to capture an 85-78 victory over host Slippery Rock inside Morrow Field House this afternoon. West Chester (2-3, 2-1 PSAC) opened the contest hot from the outside, knocking down perimeter shots. However, Slippery Rock (3-5, 1-2 PSAC) would trade baskets to hold a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The back-and-forth affair resulted in the Golden Rams trailing, 35-33, at the half due to Mallory Heinle's jumper right before the buzzer. Sophomore Alexis Anderson (Allentown, Pa. / Louis E. Dieruff) registered a career high as well in the contest, contributing 22 points including three three-pointers. Anderson contributed most of the offensive production in the first half with 17 points to keep West Chester within reach. The combination of Speller and Anderson provided 49 points from the backcourt for head coach Kiera Wooden. Despite the 12-day layoff due to the holiday, West Chester was sharp from the field as the squad shot 38.5 percent (5-13) from behind the arc in the PSAC matchup. Slippery Rock went on a brief 4-0 run to begin the second half. The Golden Rams would respond with a run of their own, going on a 10-2 run in a span of two minutes. West Chester took a one-point lead with 3:27 remaining in the fourth quarter off of a Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) jumper. The Golden Rams prevailed in the fourth quarter from that point forward. Speller did not miss a single free-throw in the contest, going 14-14 in the contest to help seal the victory down the stretch. Additionally, the junior matched a career high four steals in the victory. Teammate Tori Smick (Pilesgrove, N.J./Woodstown) had a career day too, accumulating a career high 13 points to go along with a team-high 7 assists. Overall, West Chester shot 50 percent (27-54) from the field in addition to a 35.3 percentage from three (6-17). The Golden Rams did an excellent job from the charity stripe, hitting 25 of 30 free-throws for a 83.3 percentage. Slippery Rock did hold a big advantage in terms of bench points, outscoring West Chester 32-7. West Chester will look to carry this momentum as the squad returns to action tomorrow against Edinboro to finish up its road trip. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Game Notes West Chester is now 15-6 all-time against Slippery Rock. This is the first victory against Slippery Rock since a 84-71 win on December 18th, 2013. Anderson registered the most points scored in a half this season for West Chester with 17 points. The sophomore tallied a career-high 22 points, which was previously 15 against Clarion earlier this season. First time in her career that she has totaled 20 points in a game. Smick produced a career high 13 points. Her 7 assists are a team-high this season. Speller contributed a career high 27 points and tied a career high with four steals as well. Being 14-14 for free-throws reflects the most FTs made in a contest since Dallas Ely (10) against East Stroudsburg on March 1st, 2016.
