West Chester, PA – (12/5/2009) – West Chester University used an aggressive first-half defense to extend a 42-23 halftime lead to an 81-51 win over Chestnut Hill College in the closing contest of the Carol Eckman Tournament. The Golden Rams shot 49.2% (30-of-61) as a team, including a 53.3% (16-of-30) shooting performance in the opening half. Chestnut Hill College was led by senior forward Chanta'l Hardy (Philadelphia, PA )who came off the bench to total 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Chestnut Hill College (0-7) shot 45.5% (10-of-22) in the opening half, but 18 turnovers landed the Griffins behind a 42-23 halftime deficit. West Chester University (7-0) turned an early 11-point lead, 17-6, into a 19-point advantage by the break behind the play of their sophomore backcourt. Jillian Keefer (Palmyra, Pa.) and Allison Hostetter (Oxford, Pa.) led the Golden Rams with nine points and five points, respectively.

The Golden Rams ballooned their advantage to as many as 32, 79-47, in the closing frame as they closed the contest by a 30-point margin. Junior guard Megan Stewart (York, Pa.) led the host team with 13 points and she helped fuel the offense with four assists. Senior forward Janelle Garber (Elizabethtown, Pa.) also provided four assists while also recording ten points. Keefer finished with 11 points and three steals, while Hostetter ended the night with nine points, five steals, and a block.

Hardy came off the Griffin bench to lead Chestnut Hill College with 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Senior forward Davina Yacab (Patterson, NJ )gave a strong, reserve performance harnessing nine rebounds and senior forward Jenna Beck (Philadelphia, PA )scored nine points in the loss.

The women's basketball team will travel to Georgian Court University for a 6:00 p.m. Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest on Thursday, December 10.

WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY 81, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 51

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (0-7)
HARDY, Chanta'l 3-11 5-6 12; BECK, Jenna 4-7 1-2 9; BOYER, Yelissa 4-7 0-0 8; YACAB, Davina 3-4 0-0 6; PRUITI, Jessica 2-10 0-0 5; ALEXANDER, Lindsay 2-4 1-2 5; SMITH, Aiesha 1-6 0-0 2; GLASS, Carley 1-2 0-0 2; STAYROOK, Ashlen 1-3 0-0 2; DELAHANTY, Jenn 0-1 0-0 0; LAING, Latoya 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-56 7-10 51.

WEST CHESTER (7-0)
STEWART, Megan 4-9 3-5 13; KEEFER, Jillian 5-8 0-0 11; GARBER, Janelle 5-6 0-0 10; HOSTETTER, Allison 2-4 5-6 9; NEAL, Renata 4-6 0-0 8; WINTERS, Natalie 2-4 1-2 7; SERRATELLI, Mary Kat 2-6 1-2 6; KERRIGAN, Meghan 2-2 2-3 6; COMMODARI, Lauren 2-4 0-0 4; ADAMS, Dominique 1-3 1-2 3; HAMMOND, Shamyra 1-1 0-0 2; CARLIN, Bridget 0-3 1-2 1; ORTMAN, Ambreelinne 0-2 1-2 1; STRICKLAND, Carly 0-0 0-0 0; LOPER, Ashley 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 30-61 15-24 81.

Points by Half                                 1      2      F
Chestnut Hill College                  23    28    51
West Chester University             42    39    81

3-point goals--Chestnut Hill College 2-7 (HARDY, Chanta'l 1-3; PRUITI, Jessica 1-3; SMITH, Aiesha 0-1), WEST CHESTER 6-18 (WINTERS, Natalie 2-4; STEWART, Megan 2-2; SERRATELLI, Mary Kat 1-2; KEEFER, Jillian 1-3; COMMODARI, Lauren 0-1; ADAMS, Dominique 0-1; CARLIN, Bridget 0-1; ORTMAN, Ambreelinne 0-1; LOPER, Ashley 0-3). Fouled out--Chestnut Hill College-BOYER, Yelissa, WEST CHESTER-None. Rebounds--Chestnut Hill College 32 (YACAB, Davina 9), WEST CHESTER 38 (GARBER, Janelle 6). Assists—Chestnut Hill College 11 (HARDY, Chanta'l 4), WEST CHESTER 23 (STEWART, Megan 4; GARBER, Janelle 4). Total fouls--Chestnut Hill College 16, WEST CHESTER 12. Technical fouls--Chestnut Hill College-None, WEST CHESTER-None. A-246.