CLARION, Pa.- Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame), Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua), and Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) all registered a double-double as Kozicki led all scorers with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Johnson finished with 12 and 10 to go along with six assists and McAteer came away with 11 and 10 as West Chester (8-7, 5-4) cruised to a 70-51 win over Clarion (3-11, 3-6) on Saturday afternoon.
West Chester trailed only briefly this afternoon, led for over 36 minutes of action, falling behind for just 1:59 seconds of the first quarter before evening the score and eventually extending the lead to as many as 24 late in the fourth quarter en route to the crossover victory.
West Chester, who had three players register a double-double in the same game since December of the 2013-14 season vs Millersville, ended the game with five players in double figures, led by the 17-point effort from Kozicki.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and
Alexa Abbonizio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) also scored in double figures finishing with 12 and 13 points each, with Abbonizio's 13 setting a new season-high for the sophomore guard.
Jada Smith led Clarion in scoring with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting while also coming away with a team-high five steals and five rebounds in the setback.
Clarion scored the first basket of the game just 14 seconds into it, holding this lead for the next two minutes of play, which would eventually prove to be the Golden Eagles only lead of the game. West Chester countered with a 13-2 run, including four points each from
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley). This impressive run allowed West Chester to take a 17-7 lead into the second quarter.
West Chester opened the second quarter with another impressive run, a second 13-2 stretch, which allowed the Golden Rams to take a commanding 30-9 lead with 5:50 to play in the first half. As the half continued, West Chester stretched its lead to 22 points after a last-second layup by McAteer, giving her six points in the first half.
West Chester stretched the lead to 24 just one minute into the third quarter before Clarion began its comeback effort, outscoring West Chester 16-11 in the frame to cut the deficit to 49-32 heading into the fourth.
Clarion continued its ill-fated comeback attempt into the fourth quarter, but West Chester eventually pulled away, winning by a final score of 70-51.
West Chester ended the game shooting 35.7 % (25-of-70) from the field and 36.8 % (7-of-19) from three while also shooting 81.3 % (13-of-16) from the line in the streak-snapping win. For its part, Clarion shot 35.8 % (19-of-53) from the field and 26.1 % (6-of-23) while going 7-for-10 from the line in the loss.
West Chester also ended the game with an impressive 51-29 lead in rebounding, including a 23-6 edge on the offensive glass, which led to a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the contest with a 12-10 lead in points off turnovers (thanks in part to a 12-9 lead in the turnover battle) and an 18-16 lead in bench points in the victory.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday night at Lock Haven beginning at 5:30 p.m.
