WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The No. 9/12 West Chester University women's basketball team (7-3, 2-2) returns home on Saturday afternoon looking to get back above .500 in PSAC play and remain unbeaten at home against Clarion (0-10, 0-4) in the final game of the 2023 half of the schedule.
Saturday afternoon's pregame will look a bit different as it is Parent's Appreciation Day. This annual event allows the West Chester University women's basketball team to express its appreciation and love for the parents and family members who support our Golden Rams throughout the season. Following this ceremony, West Chester will also honor
Emily McAteer with a commemorative ball in recognition of her scoring her 1,000th collegiate point on December 18 at Mercyhurst.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester returns home today to take on crossover foe Clarion. After winning each of the last three meetings, West Chester enters play with a 13-10 advantage in the series against the Golden Eagles. A year ago, West Chester posted a 70-51 victory over Clarion behind a 17-point/12 rebound game from
Michelle Kozicki. West Chester has not hosted Clarion in Hollinger since November of the 2016-17 season, a game which West Chester lost by a 67-58 final. West Chester is 2-2 against Clarion in Hollinger dating back to the 2009 season.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester enters play on Saturday afternoon following an 86-71 loss at the hands of top-five foe Gannon on Tuesday night. West Chester hung around through the early stages but led for only 24 seconds as the Golden Knights, led by 21 points from Bri Claxon, rolled to a victory over the Golden Rams.
Leah Johnson led the way for West Chester, scoring 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while
Anna McTamney and
Michelle Kozicki finished with 16 points. West Chester shot 45.5 % from the field in this game, including a 28.6 effort from beyond the arc, while Gannon shot 54.2 % from the field and 44.4 % from deep in the victory.
Despite a pair of losses a week ago, West Chester holds steady in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) (9
th) and Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) (12
th) top-25 polls, as there was no poll released on Tuesday, December 26 with the next rankings coming out on January 2.
West Chester enters play averaging 74.3 points per game as one of the top offensive units in the PSAC, trailing only Seton Hill, who leads the league in scoring, averaging 79.2 points per game. WCU ranks fourth in the PSAC and first in the PSAC East in field goal percentage, shooting 43.2 % while leading the league in free throw shooting at 79.6 %.
Individually,
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game, which has helped her move into fifth on the scoring chart with 1456 points, passing Mitzi Reitnouer on Tuesday night at Gannon. Johnson is now just 188 points shy of tying the program scoring record, which is currently held by Brittany Sicinski (1,624; 2012-'16).
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley), who will be honored with her 1,000-point ball before opening tip, ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game, while also leading the team in rebounding, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game. McAteer scored the majority of her 1,000 career points as a Golden Ram, scoring 353 points during her tenure at Loyola (Md.) and the remaining 647 as a Golden Ram.
Jayde Boyd (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) is next on the list of players chasing the 1,000-point milestone, currently residing just eight points away heading into Saturday afternoon.
SCOUTING CLARION
Clarion enters play in search of its first win of the season after falling to Kutztown by a 78-46 final last Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles found themselves down 24 after the first quarter, and despite a 13-point performance by junior forward Alyssa McCellon, Clarion could not overcome the deficit for its first win of the year. Averaging 61.7 points per game and shooting 36.2 % from the field on the year, Clarion shot just 19.6 % from the floor on Tuesday night, including a 25.0 % (6-of-24) effort from three-point territory.
Sadre'a Rougeau leads the team in scoring so far this season, averaging 9.8 points per game, while also ranking third on the team in rebounding (3.8/g) and leading the team in steals (2.1/g). Sophomore guard Hannah Wilkerson is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points per game, while also tying with senior forward Abby Gatesman for first on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.4 rebounds per game.
Up Next:
Saturday is the Golden Ram's final home game of 2023 and the final home date until January 10, when Shepherd comes calling for the PSAC East opener. West Chester will head to 2023 NCAA Tournament foe California (Pa.) on Wednesday, January 3, in the first game of 2024 before opening PSAC East play on January 6 at East leader Lock Haven.
