West Chester Races Past East Stroudsburg, 68-58; Remain Tied for First in PSAC East
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – West Chester topped host East Stroudsburg, 68-58, inside Koehler Field House Monday evening to remain tied for the top spot in the PSAC East with Shippensburg. The Golden Rams (5-8, 5-4 PSAC) have extended their winning streak to 11 games against the Warriors (8-5, 4-5 PSAC), dating back to the 2011-2012 season. West Chester jumped on East Stroudsburg early in the PSAC showdown, going on an 8-2 run to begin the game. The Golden Rams took advantage of the Warriors' shooting woes as well, taking a 17-point lead into the locker room. Jr., G Camden Boehner (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) knocked down a three right before the half to give West Chester a 37-20 lead. East Stroudsburg struggled from the field, only making 25 percent of its shots from the floor compared to West Chester's 55.2 percentage. However, the Warriors were successful to begin the second half by outscoring West Chester 20-16. The Warriors clawed their back to make it a four-point game at the 1:32 mark in the fourth quarter. Despite the comeback, the Golden Rams were able to prevail and remain tied for first in the PSAC East. For the third straight contest, head coach Kiera Wooden's quad managed to have four different players with double-digits in the scoring column. Jr., G Porscha Speller (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) registered a team-high 16 points, five rebounds, five steals, and four assists for the Golden Rams. Four out of Speller's career high five steals came in the first half. Meanwhile, senior Tori Smick (Pilesgrove, N.J./Woodstown) knocked down her free throws down the stretch to help seal the victory. Smick contributed 11 points and four rebounds to extend her double-figures streak to nine games. A spark off the bench for the Golden Rams tonight was Jenna Widdicombe (Pottstown, Pa. / Pope John Paul II). Widdicombe added a career high 10 points to go along with three boards, one steal, and a block. The redshirt freshman made a difference in her 23 minutes of action, helping out Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) who got into early foul trouble. Torresin finished the contest with 10 points and six rebounds The Warriors ended the night 33.9 percent (20-59) from the field and only 13.6 percent from downtown (3-22). West Chester on the other hand shot 45.3 percent (24-53) from the floor, while also being 35.5 percent from behind the arc (3-8). The Golden Rams never trailed in the contest. Wooden's squad now turns its attention toward Shippensburg as the winner will take sole possession of first place in the PSAC East. The conference matchup is set for Wednesday inside Heiges Field House at 5:30 p.m.
