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EAST STROUDSBURG – Senior guard Imani Brown totaled 19 points to lead five East Stroudsburg University players in double figures, but visiting West Chester shot 61.8 percent in the second half to pull out an 83-81 victory at Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Porscha Speller had a game-high 25 points, while Mia Hopkins added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Golden Rams (21-4, 18-3), who won their 16th straight game after trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half.

Sophomore guard Jordan Hertz registered her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors (16-8, 14-6 PSAC). Freshman forward Marlene Bassett (13), sophomore guard Sadie Cresswell (13) and sophomore guard Tiffany Lapotsky (10) also scored in double figures for the home side.

Both teams entered today's contest locked into their seeds for the upcoming PSAC tournament. West Chester will be the No. 1 seed and ESU will be the No. 2 in the PSAC East, with each set to host quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

The Warriors got off to a dominant start in the opening quarter, leading 19-4 with 3:21 left in the frame after a layup inside by Bassett. ESU would ultimately hold a 24-11 advantage at the end of the first 10 minutes of play. Bassett had 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting, and the Warriors shot 57.9 percent (11-19) overall in the quarter.

ESU, though, had several players get into foul trouble early in the second quarter, as Brown (3 fouls), junior guard Ann McKnight (3), sophomore forward Dominique Rayam (3) and Bassett (2) were all forced to the bench at various points. West Chester ended the half with a 17-2 advantage in free throws, and the visitors had the deficit down to 37-30 at the intermission.

Brown scored the first four points of the second half to get the lead back into double digits before going back to the bench with her fourth foul. The Golden Rams then began to get into a rhythm offensively, ending the third quarter with a 26-19 scoring advantage (20-6 in the paint). A Speller layup gave WCU its first lead at 51-50 with 1:46 left, and the score was ultimately tied 56-56 heading into the fourth.

The Golden Rams started the last quarter on a 7-0 run to force an early ESU timeout. The visitors lead was 77-69 with 2:33 remaining in regulation, but two Rayam free throws capped a 6-0 Warrior run to make it a one-possession game with 56 seconds on the clock.

ESU played tight defense on the ensuing possession, but Speller sank a contested 3-pointer with under five seconds on the shot clock to move the advantage back to 80-75.

The Warriors were not done, as a Hertz long ball made it 81-80, WCU, with 12 seconds left. After two Golden Ram free throws on the other end, Lapotsky was fouled with just over two seconds on the clock. She went 1 for 2, with possession going to ESU following her miss. There was only 0.4 on the clock, however, and the Warriors could not get off a shot before the final horn.

ESU saw a seven-game winning streak at Koehler Fieldhouse end, with the Warriors losing at home for the first time since Dec. 3.

There are two games remaining in the regular season prior to the PSAC tournament. ESU travels to Kutztown for a 5:30 p.m. matchup on Wednesday before welcoming Millersville to Koehler Fieldhouse next Saturday.