FLOCK TALK
The Golden Rams head into Saturday’s game against Kutztown with a 5-4 overall record and coming off an 82-67 defeat at No. 24 University of the Sciences on December 19. West Chester found itself down big (62-34) after three quarters, but slowly began to chip away at the lead throughout the final frame. Trailing by 26 points in the fourth, the Golden Rams orchestrated an impressive 14-0 run midway through the quarter to hack the deficit down to just 12 (69-57) with just over three minutes to play in regulation. With time running out, West Chester was forced to intentionally foul and put the Devils at the charity stripe over the next handful of possessions. Entering the game as the second best free throw shooting team in the country, USciences easily converted its final seven-straight free throws to take the 82-67 victory inside the Bobby Morgan Arena. Senior Porscha Speller led West Chester with 19 points in the loss, while Mia Hopkins chipped in a team-high eight rebounds and four assists to go along with seven points overall. As team, the Golden Rams went 23-of-54 (42%) from the field against the Devils and shot 33% (8-of-24) from beyond the arc in the loss.
ROSTER CHECK
Speller continues to pace the West Chester offense in scoring, leading the team and ranking fourth throughout the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) at 20.4 points per game. The senior's 2.4 steals/game is also the best mark on the squad through nine games and puts the Lancaster native fifth overall in the league. Along with her scoring prowess, Speller has also been a solid distributor so far this season with 4.0 assists per outing, while continuing to be one of the best rebounding guards in the conference with 6.1 boards per game. Entering Saturday’s league matchup against Kutztown, Speller is averaging 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a team-high 3.8 assists/game in PSAC games this season.
Starting in all nine games, Hopkins has been on a tear this season – averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and a team-high 10.9 rebounds/game. The transfer from Bloomsburg’s rebounding average is the second best mark throughout the conference this season and her 4.3 helpers per outing puts the talented forward third overall in the league. Hopkins has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in five games this season and she currently holds two of the top three spots in the PSAC for rebounds in a single game this year, including her league-best 18 rebound effort against Holy Family on November 26.
TEAM STATS AND ALL THAT
Putting up 81.9 points/game through nine contests, the Golden Rams come into Saturday’s game against Kutztown boasting the second-highest scoring offense in the PSAC. West Chester owns three of the top four biggest scoring outputs by a conference team this season, highlighted by its 106-point explosion against Clarion on November 19 – a game where the Golden Rams shot 66% from the floor, which stands as the No. 2 best shooting percentage for a game by any team in NCAA DII this season. West Chester's 0.465 shooting from the field through nine games is the best mark of any team in the PSAC thus far, while its 1.28 assist/turnover ratio also puts the Golden Rams atop the league this season.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
Sitting a 7-4 overall, Kutztown University heads to Hollinger Field House with a 2-3 conference mark and having won five of its last six contests overall. Last time out, the Golden Bears were pushed to the brink by a two-win Georgian Court team at home, eventually claiming 88-84 victory in overtime thanks to a clutch triple by Karen Lapkiewicz down the stretch. Lapkiewicz’s 18 points against the Lions led six Kutztown players in double figures, while Keifonna Ferguson grabbed a team-high eight boards in the overtime win.
Overall, Rylee Derr tops the Golden Bears at 11.8 points/game and she joins Alexis Smith (10.0 points/game) as the only players on the roster that average in double figures. Ferguson’s 16 total steals and 6.9 rebounds per outing are the most on Kutztown through 11 games and Taylor Thames paces the Kutztown offense with a team-high 3.4 assists/game to go along with 7.5 points per contest.