SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.-Following an exciting second-half comeback vs Mansfield on Monday evening, which saw West Chester (7-14, 5-10 PSAC) erase a 20-point deficit to earn a victory in that contest, the Golden Rams nearly duplicated the feat on Wednesday night at Shippensburg (14-9, 10-7 PSAC), trailing by 16 early in the game before coming back to take a slim two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, West Chester and Shippensburg engaged in a tight battle for much of the fourth quarter but a late cold spell, proved costly for West Chester as Shippensburg escaped with a narrow 63-58 victory over the visiting Golden Rams.
In opening minutes of the first quarter, Shippensburg raced out to an early lead and looked to take control of the game, holding a commanding 18-2 lead with 3:44 to play in the opening frame. Undeterred, West Chester closed the quarter on a 8-3 run to trail by 11 (21-10) heading into the second quarter.
In the second, West Chester continued its comeback effort outscoring the Raiders 21-16 over the course of the frame, thanks in large part to a 9-of-18 shooting effort from the field as a team and a quarter-high seven points from
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) to trail by just four points (35-31) heading into the halftime break.
In the third quarter, West Chester continued its furious comeback, outscoring Shippensburg 16-8 over the course of this period to erase its early deficit and take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter following a made jumper by Johnson on a fastbreak following a Shippensburg turnover.
Kyra Jefferson (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) was the story for West Chester in the third, scoring a team-high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with three rebounds to help West Chester carry a slim lead into the fourth.
In the early stages of the fourth, West Chester and Shippensburg traded baskets, but it was the Raiders who held a slim 58-54 lead with 5:42 to play in regulation thanks to a 7-1 run by the Raiders midway through the frame. Following the final media timeout with under five minutes to play, West Chester and Shippensburg both found themselves in the midst of lengthy scoring droughts as both sides struggled to score the basketball entering the stretch run of the game.
Bink Redman (York, Pa./William Penn) got the Golden Rams back on the scoreboard for the first time in over five minutes, hitting a pair of free throws to bring West Chester back within two points with 2:19 to play.
Following these points, Shippensburg went on a quick 4-0 run to take a six-point (62-56) lead with 55 seconds to play in regulation, prompting a West Chester timeout as the Golden Rams looked to halt a Shippensburg run. Following the timeout, West Chester's late-game shooting woes continued as the Golden Rams missed a pair of shots on the ensuing possession as Shippensburg regained possession with 47 seconds to play. Down the stretch, Shippensburg was able to hold off the Golden Ram comeback bid, going onto win by a final score of 63-58.
After shooting 50.0 % from the field in the second quarter and 40.0 % from the field in the third, West Chester struggled mightily in the fourth quarter, shooting just 16.7 % (3-of-18) from the field, including a 1-for-16 effort from the field to close out the contest.
Johnson ended the game with her seventh double-double of the year, scoring 15 points to go along with 13rebounds and four assists while Jefferson ended with 11 points and five rebounds in the setback.
Former Golden Ram
Destiny Jefferson led the Raiders in scoring with 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field while Aunbrielle Green chipped in 19 with Lauren Pettis finishing with 17 of her own to hold off the Golden Rams and earn the narrow victory. Green also finished with a double-double securing an impressive 19 rebounds including 13 on the defensive glass in the victory.
West Chester ended the game shooting 32.4 % (23-of-71) from the field and 19.0 % (4-for-21) from three-point range while also going 8-of-9 from the line in the setback. For its part, Shippensburg shot 41.9 % (26-of-62) from the field and 30.0 % (3-of-10) from three-point range while going just 8-for-18 (44.4 %) from the line.
Shippensburg ended the game with a 49-39 edge in rebounding and a corresponding 21-9 advantage in second-chance points. West Chester's bench, which has been important for the Golden Rams throughout the season, came through once again on Wednesday evening, outscoring Shippensburg 24-2 led by 10 points from Redman to help the Golden Rams erase their early deficit and remain in contention late.
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at home against Bloomsburg with that game set to begin at 1 p.m. in what will also be Pack the House Day inside Hollinger Field House, with the first 100 West Chester students in attendance receiving free t-shirt and an entry into a raffle. The Golden Rams will not need to wait long for their rematch vs the Raiders as Shippensburg is set to visit Hollinger Field House on Monday evening beginning at 5:30 p.m.
