GLENVILLE, W.V.- After defeating Cal in the Round of 32 a night ago, West Chester University's women's basketball team will play for the Atlantic Regional Title on Monday night against defending National Champion and host Glenville State at 7 p.m. inside the Waco Center at Glenville State.
Fan Information
This weekend's Tournament will be held inside the Waco Center in Glenville, West Virginia, for the second year. Ticket sales will begin one hour before opening tip and will only be available on-site, with ticket prices at $7 for adults and $5 for children, students, and seniors.
Fans should plan to park in the upper portion of the lot at the Waco Center, with the spectator entrance by the doors with the Waco Center signage.
Series Information
West Chester enters play on Saturday trailing 8-2 in the all-time series against Glenville State, including an opening night 104-78 setback against the Pioneers and a loss in the 2017-18 NCAA Tournament by a final of 118-87 in what was the Golden Rams last appearance before this year.
West Chester faced Glenville State in the season opener back on November 12
th and led by six at the half, but the Pioneers used a big second half to surge past the Golden Rams, recording a 104-78 victory to open the season. For the first time since the 2019 season, West Chester had all five starters score in double figures in the opening-night matchup, led by a pair of 14-point efforts by
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) and
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh). Despite this tremendous offensive effort, Glenville State used a 40-point third quarter, which saw the Pioneers shoot north of 60 % from the field and three-point range to erase the halftime deficit and take a lead they would never relinquish. Mickayla Perdue led the way in scoring for Glenville State in this win, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting as one of four Pioneers in double figures in the victory.
Flock Talk
On the heels of its first NCAA Tournament win in 20 years, the West Chester women's basketball team made additional history on Saturday night, defeating Charleston 73-60 to advance to the regional final for the first time in school history. While
Leah Johnson was the storyline in the win over Cal on Friday, it was
Anna McTamney and
Michelle Kozicki who both finished with double-doubles that were the storyline on Saturday night, as McTamney finished with 20 and 11, while Kozicki had 15 and 10. West Chester hit just one three on the night but was an impressive 24-of-26 at the line to earn the win. The turning point seemed to be in the second quarter when West Chester outscored its foes 17-9 to carry a double-digit lead into the halftime break en route to the 13-point victory.
The year's first matchup against Glenville State served as a harbinger of things to come for the Golden Rams, particularly regarding the team's offensive depth. West Chester has been remarkably balanced throughout the year, and this balance was on display again on Saturday night as four Golden Rams scored in double figures, led by McTamney and Kozicki's double-doubles, while
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) chipped in 13 to go along with 11 from McAteer. These efforts by Johnson and McAteer also moved the duo up the school's single-season scoring chart, moving Johnson into fifth in single-season points (516), while McAteer is close behind in sixth with 501 points of her own.
Last night's victory also marked the ninth time this season that West Chester has had two or more players record a double-double in the same game, improving upon a stat that was already the best in head coach
Kiera Wooden's tenure at the helm. With 30 double-doubles on the year from a combination of four players, led by 12 from McAteer and 11 from Kozicki, West Chester has shown the ability to adapt and score in different ways throughout the season, a characteristic that will be particularly important against the depth of Glenville State on Monday night.
Scouting Glenville State
Glenville State, the defending National Champions, enters on a six-game winning streak with a record of 31-2 after defeating Shippensburg in other semifinals last night. Glenville State faced off against Shippensburg in the second game of a doubleheader from the Waco Center last night, taking a close game after the first quarter and pulling away for a 107-76 win over the fourth-seeded Raiders. Junior guard Mickayla Perdue played a significant role in the victory a night ago, scoring 30 points with seven made three-pointers. Glenville State shot 50.6 % (40-of-79) from the field and 38.5 % (15-of-39) from three-point territory in the win. Breanna Campbell also had a big night for the Pioneers, finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists to help her squad return to the Regional Championship game in 2023.
Perdue is the team's leading scorer entering play on Monday night, averaging 18.0 points per game, while Campbell is second in scoring, averaging 17.7 per game. Campbell also leads the team in rebounding (6.0/g) and assists (4.2/g), while Hya Haywood leads the team in steals, averaging 2.3 steals per game.
Averaging 87.8 points per game, the Pioneers boast one of the top offenses in Division II, ranking second in the nation in points per game, trailing only West Virginia State, who fell to Shippensburg in the opening round on Friday. Glenville State shoots 43.3 % from the field and 33.2 % from beyond the arc but is also among the best in the country in turnover margin. Forcing opponents into an average of 27.48 turnovers per game, the Pioneers lead Division II in forced turnovers, entering play with a +11.9 turnover margin on the season, which is also the best in the nation.
With a Win
West Chester would see its magical 2022-23 season continue, earning a trip to the National Quarterfinals in Missouri on March 20th.
