LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) led four Golden Rams in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting as the West Chester women's basketball team (9-7, 6-4) picked up a crucial PSAC East victory over Lock Haven (7-8, 5-5) by a final of 66-57.
West Chester trailed only briefly on Wednesday night, finding itself behind for just over two minutes in the first quarter before pulling back ahead for a 16-13 lead heading into the second. West Chester would never trail again as the Golden Rams eventually extended their lead to as many as 12 late in the fourth quarter en route to the 66-57 victory over the bald Eagles.
McAteer led West Chester in scoring on Wednesday night while
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) added 13 to go along with 12 each from
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame). McTamney, who was 6-of-6 from the line on the night, also finished with a double-double, registering 10 rebounds to go along with her 12 points, while McAteer and Johnson narrowly missed double-doubles of their own, finishing with nine and eight rebounds, respectively.
The first quarter, which featured a pair of ties and three lead changes, was close throughout, with neither side leading by more than three, but West Chester held a narrow 16-13 lead heading into the second quarter. McAteer led the way in the first quarter, scoring seven quick points to lead all scorers through the first 10 minutes of action.
West Chester extended its lead to nine early in the second quarter after a 6-0 run to open the frame before Lock Haven countered with a 5-0 run of its own, trimming the deficit to 22-18 with just under six minutes to play in the first half. After a long scoreless drought, which included both teams, West Chester closed the half on a 5-2 run to take a 27-20 lead into the halftime break.
McAteer led the team in scoring through the first half, contributing seven points, while McTamney led the way in the second quarter with a team-high six points in the frame, allowing West Chester to carry a seven-point lead into the halftime break.
Coming out of the half, West Chester continued to hold off Lock Haven, extending its lead to 40-28 with just over three minutes to play in the third. Lock Haven held West Chester scoreless for the remainder of the third, trimming the deficit to 40-32 heading into the fourth.
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) extended the lead to 11 points early in the fourth quarter with a three in front of the West Chester bench, making the score 45-34 in favor of the Golden Rams. Lock Haven got to the line with eight minutes to play and converted one of two as West Chester retained a 10-point lead entering the late stages of the contest. Lock Haven cut the lead down to four before McAteer drained a three off a rebound to give West Chester a 52-45 lead with 5:03 to play. Lock Haven countered with a quick three of its own, cutting the lead down to 52-48 with 4:30 to play in regulation. West Chester continued to hold Lock Haven off as the Golden Rams stretched the lead back to eight (58-50) after a pair of made free throws by McTamney with 2:32 to play in regulation. Brooke Lawyer drained a late three for Lock Haven with 1:02 to play in regulation, giving her a team-high 18 points and trimming the lead to 61-53. West Chester closed the game out at the line, converting on 5-of-6 from the stripe in the final minute of regulation.
As a team, West Chester shot 42.6 % (23-of-54) from the field and 78.3 % (18-of-23) from the line while going just 2-of-11 from three-point territory in the victory.
For Lock Haven, Lawyer led the way 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting as one of two Bald Eagles in double figures as Taylor Leidy added 15 of her own on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with a team-high six assists. The host Bald Eagles shot 36.4 % (24-of-66) from the field and 28.0 % (7-of-25) from deep while also going just 2-of-4 from the line in the setback.
West Chester also ended the night with a 45-33 lead in rebounding and a 34-28 advantage in points in the paint in the victory.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Saturday afternoon at East Stroudsburg beginning at 1 p.m.
