WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while also coming away with nine rebounds to help lead the No. 11/18 West Chester University women's basketball team (7-1) to a 74-56 victory over Lincoln (3-3) in the Golden Rams non-league finale on Tuesday night in Hollinger Field House.
West Chester entered play having lost each of the last three meetings to its Chester County neighbors, including a 76-67 setback in Hollinger a December ago. The Golden Rams made sure this result would not be duplicated on Tuesday night, jumping out to an 8-2 lead early and eventually stretching this advantage to as many as 25 en route to an 18-point home victory over the Lions.
McAteer was one of three Golden Rams in double figures on Tuesday night as
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) finished with 11 on 5-of-6 shooting, and
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) chipped in 15 to go along with a team-high five assists.
D'Ayzha Atkinson led Lincoln in scoring with 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field and a 5-for-6 effort at the line, while Maya Madison Walker finished with a game-high 10 rebounds as Lincoln managed to outrebound the Golden Rams by a 44-36 margin, including a 25-15 advantage in the second half. This rebounding advantage led to an 18-14 lead in second-chance points for the visiting Lions.
West Chester got an early lead in the first quarter, scoring eight of the first 10 points of the game behind five early points from McAteer, who led all scorers in the first half with 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting to open the game. As the first quarter continued, Lincoln closed the West Chester lead to three (9-6) with 5:34 to play in the first half, but West Chester closed out the first 10 minutes of action on a 10-4 run to take a 19-10 lead into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, West Chester kept its guests quiet throughout much of the frame, holding the Lions to just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field and a 4-for-6 effort at the line while shooting 57.1 % (8-of-14) from the field in the second quarter. This effort helped West Chester extend its lead to 24 points (44-20) heading into the halftime break.
McAteer nearly registered a double-double in the first half, heading to the break with 13 points and eight rebounds, while
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) added nine points each. West Chester ended the half shooting an even 50.0 % (14-of-28) from the field and 3-for-9 (33.3 %) from deep, including a 2-for-4 effort from range in the second quarter. The Golden Rams also shot 86.7 % (13-of-15) from the line through the first 20 minutes of action.
For its part, Lincoln was led offensively by four points each from Isis Triplett and Ciani Montgomery, shooting just 25.8 % (8-of-31) from the field, including an 0-for-13 effort three-point land.
In the second half, Lincoln showed some fight down the stretch, battling back and outscoring the Golden Rams by three in the third and fourth quarters, but the Golden Rams were never truly in danger, holding for a 74-56 victory over their visitors.
Lincoln shot considerably better in the second half of action, improving upon its 25.8 % shooting effort at the halftime break, ending the game shooting 33.3 % (22-of-66) from the field, including its lone made three in the third quarter of play. Lincoln also finished the game shooting 68.8 % (11-for-16) from the stripe.
For its part, West Chester ended the game shooting 45.5 % (25-of-55) from the field and 23.5 % (4-for-17) from deep while also shooting 71.4 % (20-of-28) from the line.
The Golden Rams were once again able to give the starting five some valuable rest on Tuesday night, as the lone member of the starting five to play longer than 25 minutes was Johnson, who played an even 30 minutes in the victory. The Golden Rams second unit performed well again on Tuesday night, accounting for 22 points, led by seven points from
Valerie McGriff (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn), six points, and six rebounds from
Kaziah Ross (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) and five from freshman
Erin Daley (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh. Ross's six-point and six-rebound effort set a new season-high in points for her while also setting a new career-high in rebounding for the veteran guard.
West Chester ended the game with a 16-14 lead in the turnover battle, which resulted in 13 points off turnovers and a 38-24 lead in points in the paint for the Golden Rams. WCU also ended the contest with a 10-2 lead in points off the break.
UP NEXT:
West Chester will have a lengthy break before its next action as the Golden Rams do not return to the floor until Monday, December 18, at Mercyhurst in the first of two games in Erie against the Lakers on Monday night and Gannon on Tuesday, December 19. West Chester will not have the opportunity to play in front of its home crowd until December 30, when the Golden Rams welcome Clarion to Hollinger for a 1 p.m. start on what will also be Family Day.
