CLARION, Pa.- The West Chester women's basketball team (7-7, 4-4) returns to action on Saturday morning, looking to make a return to the win column vs. Clarion (3-10, 3-5) in the final PSAC West crossover game of the regular season.
Series Information
West Chester enters play on Saturday, having won each of its last two vs. Clarion, improving its record to 12-10 all-time vs. the Golden Eagles. The series has always been close, with the two teams splitting the last 10 meetings (5-5).
When the two teams met in 2019, West Chester had four players score in double figures, led by 15-point efforts from Sasha Marvel and Alexis Anderson. West Chester trailed 36-29 late in the first half before a jumper by
Tacari Talford sparked a 10-0 run, which allowed West Chester to take a 39-37 lead into the halftime break. West Chester led for much of the third quarter before Clarion pulled back out in front but yet another big run in the fourth allowed West Chester to erase a 62-54 deficit and take a 74-67 lead with 43 seconds to play en route to a 78-74 win over the Golden Eagles.
Flock Talk
West Chester enters play coming off a loss at the hands of Shippensburg by a final of 83-70. The final score of the matchup does not paint an accurate depiction of the game, which was a high-level PSAC East clash between two teams near the top of the Eastern Division standings. Featuring 11 ties and eight lead changes, the game was close throughout, but West Chester carried a two-point lead into the halftime break and eventually stretched this lead to as many as eight early in the third quarter. The game remained close late into the fourth, with West Chester pulling back within a point after a three by
Alexa Abbonizio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield). Still, Shippensburg countered quickly and eventually closed the game out at the line to earn the 83-70 victory. West Chester had four players in double figures in the setback, led by a double-double from
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) as she finished with 20 and 10, while
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) finished with 18 as she continues to close in on the 1,000-point plateau, now just 28 points away entering play on Saturday afternoon.
Balance has been crucial for West Chester this season as the Golden Rams have had three or more players score in double figures in every game this season, with four or more in eight of 14 games on the year. McTamney leads the team in average, averaging 16.4 points per game, while
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley), who ranks among the league leaders in double-doubles, is second on the team, averaging 16.1 points per game. Johnson, who also leads the team and ranks among the leaders in Division II women's basketball in assists (7.5/g), is third on the squad in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game, while
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) is fourth, averaging 13.2 points per game on the year.
West Chester remains one of the top offensive units in the league, averaging 76.5 points per game, which is fourth in the league and first in the PSAC East thanks in large part to a 44.2 % field-goal shooting percentage and 76.7 % free-throw percentage, both of which rank second-best in the league and first in the PSAC East as well. The Golden Rams have also done well on the glass this season, coming away with an average of 41.6 rebounds per game, thanks in large part to a 9.2 rebound per game average by McAteer, which is fifth-best in the PSAC. Getting the job done on the glass has translated directly into success for West Chester this season, with all seven (7-3) victories coming in games that the Golden Rams have won the rebounding battle in while playing to a mark of 0-4 in games where the team is outrebounded.
Scouting Clarion
Clarion enters play coming off a victory in its most recent game, earning a win over Pitt-Johnstown by a 62-55 final last time out. Clarion held a slim lead at the end of the first quarter before falling behind, but a 24-12 fourth-quarter effort allowed the Golden Eagles to mount a comeback and escape with a victory over the Mountain Cats. Allyson Kirby led the way for Clarion in this game, finishing with 21 points and five made three-pointers, while Jada Smith pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, right in line with her 9.8 rebounds per game average on the year.
Sierra Bermudez leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game as the lone Golden Eagle in double figures on the year, while also leading the team in assists, dishing out an average of 2.1 assists per game, including five in the win over UPJ on Wednesday night. In addition to her rebounding, Smith ranks second on the team in assists (2.0/g) and first on the team in steals (2.5/g), which is third-best in the PSAC.
As a team, Clarion shoots an average of 36.0 % from the field, 29.3 % from three, and 63.9 % from the line, all of which the Golden Eagles improved upon in the win over Pitt-Johnstown shooting 43.1 %/47.1 %/80.0 % in this victory. Despite the almost 10-rebound per game average from Smith, rebounding has not been a strong suit for Clarion this season, averaging just 35.7 rebounds per game, being outrebounded by an average of 4.5 rebounds per game while also losing the turnover battle by an average of 3.2 turnovers per game.
Up Next
After this game, West Chester will continue its road trip with a visit to Lock Haven next Wednesday night before visiting East Stroudsburg next Saturday in the final game of the three-game road swing.
