WCU Women's Hoops Amid 11-Game Winning Streak

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Division II West Chester University women's basketball team is playing some of its best basketball of the season at the right time.

The Golden Rams are 19-5 and last night's 57-47 win over an improved Cheyney team was their eleventh victory in a row. West Chester is alone in first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East with a 16-4 league mark. They have earned at least a share of the PSAC East regular season title and can clinch the division outright with a win on Saturday at Millersville. They are also second in the Atlantic Regional rankings which were released this week.

West Chester is having this success under second-year head coach Kiera Wooden, who breaks down what's working here as the regular season winds down.

"I think team chemistry is a big thing when you're trying to make a run," Wooden tells KYW Newsradio. "And I think that our team is just playing well together, feeding off of each other's positive energy. And on the defensive end, we're just working hard and working together."

Listen to the entire interview with West Chester's Kiera Wooden

This success is in line with Wooden's expectations coming into the season.

"Based on what we did last year (24-6 record and an NCAA Tournament berth) and the nucleus that we had returning, I thought that this was what we were capable of," Wooden tells KYW Newsradio. "So I'm just happy to see that we're actually playing up to our capabilities right now."

That nucleus includes two very talented seniors guards, Brittany Sicinski and Dallas Ely. Sicinski leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game. She is also tops in assists with 107. Ely is second on the team in both categories at 13.1 ppg and 97 assists.

West Chester has a sparkling record, but Wooden says it's a record they've achieved without any concern about style points.

"What we're known for is actually making the game ugly," Wooden says. "I think that we don't play pretty basketball. We try to force the tempo, we try to cause a lot of turnovers so we can get out in transition. So if we're honed in on the defensive end and creating turnovers, and then getting out and running, we're at our best."

The Golden Rams force more than 20 turnovers a game on average and they are holding opponents to 38.7% shooting from the field.

West Chester's game with Millersville on Saturday will get underway at 1:00pm. Their regular season finale is Wednesday at Kutztown.