West Chester Notches Second Consecutive PSAC Victory over Mansfield, 78-65
MANSFIELD, Pa. – West Chester opened up 2017 with a bang as the Golden Rams won their second consecutive PSAC East matchup with a 78-65 victory over Mansfield University inside Decker Gymnasium Tuesday evening. West Chester (4-7, 4-3 PSAC) managed to take control of the contest in the last two minutes of the first quarter, scoring seven unanswered points to take a 23-10 lead over Mansfield (2-9, 0-7 PSAC). Four different Golden Rams found themselves in double-figures, including a team-high 21 points from junior guard Porscha Speller (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic). Speller also added five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Teammate, Alexis Anderson (Allentown, Pa. / Louis E. Dieruff) contributed 20 points as well, 11 of which came in the first quarter. It is the second time this season that Anderson has provided 20 points in a contest. The Golden Rams registered a season-high 44 points in the first half, gathering a 44-24 lead at the half. However, Mansfield cut the deficit to single digits to begin the fourth quarter by going on a 14-2 run in a span of three and a half minutes. The Mountaineers were clicking on all cylinders in the final quarter, outscoring the Golden Rams 23-15. Ultimately, the Golden Rams were able to prevail in the final minutes. Senior forward Tori Smick (Pilesgrove, N.J./Woodstown) continues to excel, reaching double-figures for the seventh consecutive game. Smick finished with 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Golden Rams. Fellow forward Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) produced 12 points and tied Smick with a team-high eight rebounds. Offensively, West Chester had 14 more attempts than Mansfield. The Golden Rams shot 42.4 percent from the field (28-66), while also being 25 percent from downtown (5-20). Mansfield shot nearly the same percentage from the field at 42.3 percent (22-52). From behind the arc, the Mountaineers were 23.5 percent (4-17). The difference was West Chester being 77.3 percent from the free throw line (17-22), compared to Mansfield's 58.6 percent (17-29). The Golden Rams also excelled in terms of second chance points, holding a 17-4 advantage. Additionally, head coach Kiera Wooden's squad received 35 points off the bench compared to Mansfield's 18. After being named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week, West Chester's Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa. / Pope John Paul II) followed it up with four points, five assists, and five rebounds. The victory allowed the Golden Rams to remain tied for first in the PSAC East with East Stroudsburg. West Chester returns to Hollinger Field House on Friday for a PSAC matchup with California (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m.
