WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead the No. 13/8 West Chester University women's basketball team (4-0) to a 71-51 victory over Chestnut Hill (2-3) on Monday night in Hollinger Field House.
West Chester was behind early on Monday night, trailing for the first time since an opening-night victory over Elizabeth City State University. Still, the Golden Rams did not falter, erasing the early deficit and rolling to a 20-point win over the Griffins.
West Chester led as many as 28 early in the fourth quarter and had four players in double figures as McAteer finished with 19, while
Jayde Boyd (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) added 12 to go along with 11 from
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) and 10 from
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame). In addition to her team-high 19 points, 12 of which came in the second half, McAteer also led the team in rebounds, coming away with six rebounds to help the Golden Rams, who rank among the nation's leaders in rebounding, win the rebounding battle once again.
Chestnut Hill got out to a five-point (9-4) lead just over four-and-a-half minutes into the first quarter, but West Chester did not trail for long, erasing the deficit quickly with a pair of makes from three-point range from
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa/Garnet Valley) and
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) to take a 10-9 lead. With the lead back in hand, West Chester carried a 20-14 advantage into the second period, shooting 44.4 % (8-of-18) from the field through the first 10 minutes of action.
In the second quarter, West Chester and Chestnut Hill traded makes early before a 17-point Golden Ram run on 7-of-11 shooting, led by seven points from freshman
Erin Daley (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh), gave the hosts a 19-point (37-18) lead with just 1:30 remaining in the first half. Chestnut Hill cut the deficit to 17 (37-20) heading into the halftime break as Caleigh Edwards entered the scoring column with her first points of the night with 1:05 to play, serving as the final basket by either side in the first half.
Daley and McAteer tied for the team lead in scoring in the first half, scoring seven points each, while McAteer also tied with Kozicki for the team lead in rebounding with five each.
West Chester shot 45.5 % (15-of-33) from the field and 25.0 % (3-of-12) from three-point range while also going a perfect 4-for-4 at the stripe in the opening 20 minutes.
After a hot start to the game, Chestnut Hill shot just 28.6 % (8-of-28) from the field in the first half, including a 2-for-11 effort in the second quarter, while also going just 2-for-11 (18.2 %) from three-point range.
Out of the halftime break, West Chester wasted little time extending its lead, shooting a blistering 62.5 % (10-of-16) from the field, including a 1-for-4 (25.0 %) effort from beyond the arc to carry a 58-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Golden Rams stretched their lead to as many as 28 just under two minutes into the fourth quarter before the Griffins went on their best run of the game, a 10-0 spurt, which cut the Golden Rams lead to 65-47 midway through the fourth quarter. The two sides traded baskets over the final five minutes of action as West Chester closed out a 71-51 victory over the Griffins, completing an unbeaten homestand to open the season.
West Chester ended the game with a 36-32 advantage in rebounds and a 13-4 lead in second-chance points, while also ending the game with a plus-seven edge in the turnover battle, which helped the Golden Rams end the game with a 46-18 lead in points in the paint.
The Golden Rams shot a solid 47.6 % (30-of-63) from the field and 22.2 % (4-of-18) from three-point range while also going a perfect 7-for-7 at the line in the victory.
Bridie McCann led Chestnut Hill in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting as the lone Griffin in double figures. As a unit, Chestnut Hill shot 35.2 % (19-of-54) from the field and 21.7 % (5-of-23) from deep while also going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line on Monday evening.
Boyd and freshman guard
Kyla Glasser-Hyman (Inzai, Japan/Hightstown) tied for the team lead in steals on Monday night, finishing with three each, accounting for six of the Golden Rams' 10 steals and helping wreak havoc on the Chestnut Hill offense throughout the night.
Up Next:
West Chester will return from Thanksgiving with another big test on Sunday afternoon at Jefferson, with the opening tip in that game set for 1 p.m. in Philadelphia.
