Box Score
EAST STROUDSBURG - West Chester started the second half with a 27-4 run to overcome a 34-24 halftime deficit and the Golden Rams improved to 5-1 in the PSAC East women's basketball standings with a 67-54 win over East Stroudsburg University on Saturday at Koehler Fieldhouse.
Junior forward DeAnna Rayam scored 20 of her career-high 24 points in the first half to help the Warriors build their lead, and tied a PSAC record by going 6-for-6 from behind the three-point line. Rayam was 8-for-8 from the field for the game. Suzanne Adams of Clarion also made all six of her three-point attempts in a game against Westminster during the 1993-94 season.
Senior forward Jackie Yandrisevits recorded her third straight double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds and also had three steals and two blocked shots, but the Warriors (9-10, 2-4) turned the ball over 33 times which the Golden Rams (13-6, 5-1) turned into 39 points. Dana Weems had eight of West Chester's 21 steals in the contest.
Rayam hit five of her six three-pointers in a span of 10 minutes in the first half as ESU stretched an early 10-4 lead into a 34-20 advantage, the largest for either team in the game, with 3:32 on the clock. West Chester closed the gap to 22-18 with six minutes left in the half before Rayam scored nine straight points in a 12-2 run that was punctuated by a three following an offensive rebound.
The Warriors' offense was silent for the rest of the half, but they still held a 34-24 lead at the break. West Chester scored the first 12 points of the second half, capitalizing on five ESU turnovers, to take its first lead since 4-2.
Yandrisevits had a three-point play to break the 16-0 run that spanned the half and gave ESU its final lead of the game, 37-36, with 15:42 left. Megan Stewart, who led West Chester with 19 points, came back with a three-pointer and hit two more from downtown in a 15-1 stretch that gave the Golden Rams a 51-38 advantage at the midpoint of the second half.
ESU chipped into the lead with a 7-0 spurt, with Yandrisevits scoring four points and Rayam hitting her sixth three of the game, to make the score 56-51 with 5:32 left. Senior guard Keri Cahill hit another three to bring ESU within five for the final time at the four-minute mark, but West Chester forced a turnover and Bridget Carlin scored the next time down.
The Golden Rams were 6-for-6 from the foul line down the stretch, including two from Carlin and two from Weems, to seal the victory. Carlin had 10 points and seven assists and Janelle Garber contributed 11 points and six boards to complement Stewart's 19 points. Weems had nine points and five rebounds to go with her eight steals.
Yandrisevits hit the 20-point mark for the 11th time in 19 games and had her seventh game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. She had consecutive double-doubles for the first time in her career in the Warriors' last two games against Cheyney and Mansfield.
ESU hosts Millersville on Wednesday in a PSAC East doubleheader beginning at 6 p.m.
