WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J/Notre Dame) became the fourth Golden Ram and the first since Gabby Troisi in 2019 in the PSAC Tournament vs Millersville to register a triple double, ending the game with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists to help lead West Chester (7-5, 4-2) to its second league win in a row with a 75-43 victory over Mansfield (1-9, 0-6).
Johnson was one of three Golden Rams in double figures as
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) led all scorers with 25 while
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) finished with 11, including her 10 first half points. McAteer also registered her PSAC-leading seventh double-double of the year with 10 rebounds of her own in the victory.
West Chester never trailed on Wednesday night en route to its PSAC East opening victory, eventually stretching its lead to as many as 32 late in the fourth quarter in what was a complete victory for the homestanding Golden Rams. Mansfield fought back into the game in the second quarter but West Chester stiffened defensively in a big way, holding its guests to just 14 points in the second 20 minutes of basketball, allowing just four points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth while scoring 37 of its own, rolling to the victory.
In the first half, West Chester led by as many as 19 early in the second quarter after outscoring its guests 24-9 through the opening 10 minutes of basketball, before Mansfield fought its way back into the game in the second quarter, trailing 38-29 at the half.
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) finished the first half with a quick 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a team-high six rebounds to help lead the Golden Rams through the first 20 minutes of basketball.
West Chester shot 41.2 % from the field in the first half and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the line while Mansfield shot 38.7 % from the field and made four three-pointers while going just 1-of-6 from the line in the first half.
The start of the second half was a slow start offensively for both teams with just seven points being scored between the two sides through the first five-and-a-half minutes of play, all by WCU to take a 45-29 lead with 4:27 to play in the third quarter. Holding Mansfield to just four points in the third quarter with only one made field goal provided a great opportunity for West Chester to rebuild its lead, leading 52-33 heading into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, West Chester continued to extend its lead, eventually going on a game-best 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to take a commanding 32-point lead heading down the stretch with 4:11 to play, which the team would never relinquish in the win.
For Mansfield, Jasmine Hilton led in her usual way with a team-high 15 points as the lone Mountaineer in double figures.
West Chester shot 41.8 % (28-of-67) from the field on the night despite going just 2-of-15 (13.3 %) from beyond the arc with the lone two makes coming in the fourth quarter. West Chester was nearly perfect from the line going 17-of-19 (89.5 %) from the stripe with its lone misses coming in the third quarter as the Golden Rams were 4-of-6 from the line during this frame.
Mansfield shot just 25.4 % (17-of-67) from the field and 21.1 % (4-of-19) from three while also struggling from the line in the setback, shooting just 31.3 % (5-of-16) from the stripe in the setback.
West Chester also won the rebounding battle by a +13 margin (53-40), which helped lead the Golden Rams to a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint. West Chester also ended the game with a +1 (14-13) edge in the turnover battle, however, the Golden Rams made the most of the Mounties turnovers, outscoring their guests 21-3 in this category while also ending the game with a 29-9 lead in points off the break.
The West Chester bench was also effective on Wednesday evening, outscoring Mansfield's reserves by a 17-11 margin, thanks in part to a six-point effort from
Maya Carter (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) along with a five-point effort from
Alexa Abbonizio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), which included one of the Golden Rams two fourth-quarter three's.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon at Kutztown with that contest set to begin at 1 p.m.
