WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) scored a team-high 27, while
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds to help lead the No. 13/18 West Chester University women's basketball team (6-1, 2-0) earn a 79-55 victory over Edinboro (2-4, 1-1) on Saturday afternoon.
The 13th-ranked Golden Rams passed another all-important test on Saturday afternoon, erasing an early deficit and going on a run, which started late in the first half and lasted into the second half to earn the 24-point victory over Edinboro.
West Chester had a slow start offensively, connecting on just two of its first 10 attempts from the field in the first quarter, but it started to find its way as the quarter progressed, which, combined with a 7-for-7 effort at the line, gave the Golden Rams a 17-15 lead heading into the second.
After ending the first quarter on a 9-0 run, West Chester harnessed this momentum in the second, extending its lead to nine points heading into the halftime break after outscoring Edinboro 22-15 in the second. West Chester shot much better in the second, shooting 64.3 % (9-of-14) from the field in the second quarter, and Johnson connected on a pair of threes as she finished with a team-high 14 first-half points.
McAteer also finished with nine points in the opening half of action, connecting on 2-of-5 from the field and sinking 5-of-6 free throws while grabbing eight rebounds, knocking on the door of a double-double after 20 minutes.
Hayley Sims led the way for Edinboro in the first half, scoring 16 of the Fighting Scot's 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting while also coming away with a team-high five through 20 minutes of action.
Edinboro shot 37.0 % (10-of-27) from the field in the first half while shooting 38.5 % (5-of-13) from three-point range and 62.5 % (5-of-8) from the line.
West Chester started the second half well, opening up with a 9-0 run, which, coupled with its run to end the first half, gave the Golden Rams a commanding 48-30 lead with 7:29 to play in the third. As the third quarter continued, Edinboro started to battle back in, cutting the West Chester lead to 56-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
Briana Seltzer (Reading, Pa./Reading) opened the fourth with a big three off an assist by
Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) to stretch the lead back to 59-44. Edinboro countered with a small run of its own, which cut the Golden Ram lead to 11 with 3:44 to play. This was as close as the Fighting Scots would get on Saturday afternoon as West Chester held them scoreless over the last three and a half minutes of play while scoring 13 points of its own to pull away for a 79-55 victory, improving to 2-0 in league play.
Shooting north of 60 % from the field in the second and fourth quarters, West Chester ended the day with a 49.1 % (28-of-57) field goal percentage and a 37.5 % (6-of-16) three-point shooting percentage while also ending the game shooting 85.0 % (17-of-20) from the line.
For its part, Edinboro shot 32.0 % (16-of-50) from the field and 25.9 % (7-of-27) from the three-point range while also shooting 64.0 % (16-of-25) from the line.
West Chester ended the game with a 37-33 lead in rebounding, which led to six second-chance points. West Chester also finished the game with a +10 lead in turnovers, which led to a 31-14 lead in points off turnovers and a 30-14 lead in points in the paint. The Golden Rams also ended the night with an 8-3 lead in fast break points and 16 points off the bench, led by seven from Seltzer and six from Conran.
Hayley Sims led the way in scoring for Edinboro, finishing with 24 points and five rebounds. The Golden Rams did a better job defending the junior guard in the second half, limiting her to just eight points, including one late three after a 16-point first half. Morgan Gentile was the other Fighting Scot in double figures, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds while also tying for the team lead in steals with three.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Tuesday night against Lincoln, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the third and final home game of its three-game homestand. West Chester will return to action on December 18 and 19 in Erie, Pennsylvania, against Mercyhurst and Gannon in its first multi-game trip away from Hollinger of the 2023-24 season.
