SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Junior forward Sydney Clayton (Frederick, Md./St. John's) had 25 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots to lead Shepherd (18-5, 12-5) to a 71-66 win over West Chester (8-14, 6-11) in PSAC women's basketball action at the Butcher Center on Wednesday night. The Rams posted their seventh consecutive victory.
Clayton connected on 10-of-13 shots with a 5-of-6 effort from the foul line.
Freshman guard Abby Beeman (Ridgely, W.Va./Frankfort) added 22 points and a game-high seven assists. Junior guard Marley McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Alexis Anderson scored 22 points to lead the Golden Rams. Sasha Marvel and Gabrielle Troisi each added 10 points. Marvel added nine rebounds.
Shepherd had a 33-27 lead at the half as Clayton (11) and Beeman (10) combined for 21 first-half points. The Rams rallied from a 17-8 deficit at the end of the first quarter.
Shepherd led by 15 points at 58-43 after McLaughlin sank three free throws with 7:43 left in the game. The Golden Rams rallied to within five points at 67-62 with 37 seconds left after a three-pointer by Anderson. Shepherd connected on 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch to gain the victory.
Shepherd shot 47.9 percent (23-48) from the floor with a 25 percent effort (4-16) from three-point range for the game. The Rams connected on 84 percent (21-25) of their free throws.
West Chester hit on 34.2 percent (25-73) from the floor with a 23.5 percent effort (4-17) from three-point range for the game. The Golden Rams connected on 70.6 percent (12-17) of their free throws.
Shepherd had a 38-36 advantage in rebounding. The Rams forced 11 turnovers and committed 21.
The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Kutztown for a 1 p.m. contest.
Notes: Shepherd improved to 11-3 at home on the season ... The Rams move to 13-2 when leading at the half ... Abby Beeman played the entire game for the 13th time this year ... Sydney Clayton (999) is one point shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career.
