GLENVILLE, W.V.-Making its first Regional Championship game appearance in program history, West Chester University's women's basketball team (24-9) returned to action on Monday night against top-seed and Defending National Champion Glenville State (32-2) inside the Waco Center in Glenville, West Virginia. West Chester battled throughout, but the top-seeded Pioneers pulled away for an 88-63 victory over the Golden Rams.
"I'm still so proud of this team despite tonight's outcome," head coach
Kiera Wooden said. "Tonight's game certainly doesn't negate all of the success we've had this year. We came up a little short tonight, but the effort was definitely there. I have to tip my cap to Glenville; they are a phenomenal team that played a phenomenal game. We are looking forward to getting back at it and getting better for next year," continued Wooden.
Tonight's setback closes out what was an outstanding 2023 season for the Golden Rams as the team won their first NCAA Tournament game in 20 years with a victory over California (Pa.) on Friday before advancing to its first regional final on Monday against Glenville State after knocking off Charleston in the Round of 32 on Saturday night. West Chester also picked up the most wins it has recorded since the 2014-15 season when the team went 24-6 in Wooden's first year at the helm.
"This was truly a special team and a special group of girls," said Wooden. "This year, they accomplished things that haven't been done before, and that is a lot to be proud of. We knew going into the year this was a talented group, but sometimes talent only takes you so far. This group had an amazing work ethic and buy-in to what we were telling them, and that's what helped get them here. I'm so proud of the way they wrote this story because they absolutely deserved it and should deserve a ton of credit for what they accomplished this year," said Wooden.
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame), who was the Golden Rams representative on the All-Tournament team, led all scorers with 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting while also coming away with seven assists and four rebounds in the setback.
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) also finished with a double-double, ending with 14 points and 10 rebounds for her 13
th double-double of the year, passing Mia Hopkins for the most in a single season in Wooden's tenure at the helm.
Breanna Campbell and Mickayla Perdue led Glenville State in scoring with 24 and 13 points, respectively, as two of four Pioneers in double figures. Campbell and Perdue were both named to the All-Tournament team as well, while Campbell was recognized as the Most Outstanding Player of the Region after also recording 10 rebounds and six assists in the Championship game.
Glenville State raced out to an early 5-0 lead before West Chester countered with a run of its own to take a 9-7 lead after a made three by
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame). The Golden Rams eventually stretched this lead to 13-10 after a made layup by
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) before Glenville State countered with a 9-0 run to take a 19-13 lead and prompt a West Chester timeout.
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) halted the run with a driving layup out of the timeout before
Maya Carter (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) brought the Golden Rams back to within a pair (19-17) with a layup of her own. The Pioneers closed out the frame on a 5-2 run, taking a 24-19 lead into the second quarter of action.
Glenville State extended its lead in the second as the Pioneers carried a comfortable 52-29 lead into the halftime break after outscoring West Chester 28-10 in the second in what was a turning point in the contest.
McAteer led the way in scoring in the first half for West Chester, scoring 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Johnson added seven of her own.
West Chester shot just 35.9 % (14-of-39) from the field and was 1-of-5 (20.0 %) from three-point territory while not paying a visit to the charity stripe in the first half.
For Glenville State, Breanna Campbell led the way with 11 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-9 shooting as her team shot 41.5 % (17-of-41) from the field in the first half. The Pioneers were also effective from three-point territory, connecting on 10-of-23 (43.5 %) from deep to go along with 80.0 % (8-of-10) shooting at the line.
Glenville State opened the second half with an impressive run, scoring 18 of the first 27 points to take a commanding 70-38 lead over the Golden Rams with under six minutes to play in the third. West Chester closed the period on an 11-8 run, powered by six points from Johnson, but still trailed 79-51 heading into the fourth.
West Chester continued its momentum in the fourth, scoring the first four points of the quarter and outscored the Pioneers by three in the final quarter, but the early advantage was enough to allow Glenville State to capture its Second Regional Title in as many years.
West Chester ended the game shooting 41.4 % (29-of-70) from the field and 10.0 % (1-of-10) from three-point territory while also shooting 80.0 % (4-of-5) from the line, with all five trips to the stripe coming in the third quarter. Glenville State shot 33.3 % (28-of-84) from the field and went 15-for-44 (34.1 %) from beyond the arc while also going 17-of-22 (77.3 %) from the line, with the lone three misses coming during the third quarter when the Pioneers were 9-for-12 at the stripe.
Glenville State ended the game with a slim 51-46 lead on the glass, including 25 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points. Glenville State also finished the game with a 22-14 advantage in turnovers and a 31-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Golden Rams did end the game with a 46-18 lead in points in the paint in the setback.
All-Tournament Team
Sr., G Ariel Jones-Shippensburg
Jr., G Leah Johnson-West Chester
Jr., G Mickayla Perdue-Glenville State
Jr., G Breanna Campbell-Glenville State-MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Sr., G Markyia McCormick-University of Charleston (W.V.)
