Rams extend win streak to 15 games

WEST CHESTER » The West Chester women are approaching some pretty heady territory this winter. Not only are the Golden Rams closing in on a somewhat unexpected division title, they are just one more win away from equaling the longest winning streak in the history of the women’s basketball program.

The all-time record is 16 straight, and that’s going all the way back to 1971-72, when WCU was an AIAW national power. On Wednesday, the Rams raced past Lock Haven 82-63 to extend the streak to 15. A win this weekend versus secondplace East Stroudsburg would be historic, but more importantly it would secure at least a share of the PSAC East crown.

“I honestly thought that with the returnees we had and then some pieces we added on, that we could make some magic happen,” said head coach Kiera Wooden. “This group is accomplishing some of the expectations we had for this team.

“We thought we could be this good, but we didn’t want to talk about it so we didn’t jinx it. But now that we are where we are, we are just trying to enjoy the ride.”

Now 17-3 (20-4 overall), West Chester hasn’t lost in two months. And considering that WCU clobbered LHU by 33 earlier this year on the road, Wednesday’s clash was lopsided as expected. The Bald Eagles fall to 4-15, 5-18.

The Rams are currently No. 7 in the initial NCAA Atlantic Regional Rankings, which was announced last week by the Division II Championships committee. The top eight following the conference tournaments will earns a

bid into the NCAA Tournament.

“What it means to us is we need to do more,” Wooden said. “We don’t want to be seventh or eighth because that’s a scary place to be. That means we have to win our conference in order to do that, so that’s what we are focused on.”

Seniors Camden Boehner and Mia Hopkins led WCU once again, scoring 27 and 14 points, respectively. Boehner connected on four from beyond the arc and Hopkins added nine rebounds. And one game after reaching and surpassing the 1,000-point milestone for her career, senior Porscha Speller chipped in eight points and dished out five assists.

“I think the road that we’re on is a good one,” Boehner said. “We are on the rise and playing well together.”

Boehner scored 11 points in the first quarter, sparked a 10-0 and helped the Rams take a commanding 39-22

lead into the halftime break. The second half lead topped out at 30 before Wooden emptied the bench.

“Our philosophy is to get better each game, so that by this time we will be in a rhythm and a flow, and I think we are there right now,” Wooden said.

“We just had to put the pieces together,” Boehner added. “We knew what we were capable of and we just had to make it happen.

“It’s a long season and we’re not done yet. There are still a lot of games to go to reach the goals we want to reach and get the rings that we want.”

West Chester has yet to lose to a PSAC East foe, and on Wednesday the Rams had an 18-to-10 assist-to-turnover ratio, shot 50 percent from the field and limited LHU to less than 36 percent.

“We are not focused on the streak, but what got us here,” Wooden said.