SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.- Following a win over Kutztown last Wednesday night and a rare Saturday off, the West Chester University women's basketball team (11-5, 6-4) is ready for its next challenge as the Golden Rams will visit rival Shippensburg (3-14, 2-9) for a Wednesday night battle in Heiges Field House beginning at 6 p.m.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester renews its rivalry with Shippensburg tonight with a slim 36-31 lead in the all-time series over the Raiders. West Chester and Shippensburg split the season series a year ago, with both teams picking up a road victory, marking the first split since 2019-20. The Golden Rams victory in Heiges last February was also the first road triumph over the Raiders since February of the 2018-19 season, which came as part of a stretch that saw WCU take four-of-five from Shippensburg.
In February of last year, West Chester earned a huge road victory over Shippensburg, which eventually led to the Golden Rams claiming their first PSAC East Regular Season crown since the 2017-18 season in what was a memorable season on University Ave. In this matchup, West Chester and Shippensburg were tied at the half, and the host Raiders carried a four-point lead into the fourth before a pair of big fourth-quarter performances by
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) and
Maya Carter (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) led the visitors to the victory. West Chester outscored its hosts 31-17 in the fourth, led by 13 points by Johnson and eight from Carter to erase the deficit and pick up a thrilling 80-70 victory over Shippensburg. Johnson was outstanding in the victory, finishing with 32 points to help outduel Ariel Jones and the Raiders after a 10-1 run by WCU late in the fourth quarter. As a team, West Chester shot 49.2 % from the field and also connected on 89.5 % of its attempts at the free throw line while also ending the contest with a 45-34 lead in rebounding to stun the homestanding Raiders.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester returns to action for the first time in a week as the squad visits Shippensburg in the second and final game of its two games away from Hollinger. Last Wednesday night, West Chester picked up its first road win of the season and first victory at Kutztown since 2018 with a decisive 73-54 victory over Kutztown in a game that was never really close. West Chester jumped out to a 24-15 lead after the first and extended its lead to 46-26, heading into the halftime break, scoring the most first-half points they have all season. West Chester stretched the lead to as many as 32 early in the fourth, but a late-game cold spell allowed the Golden Bears to cut the WCU advantage to 73-54 before the final buzzer.
Emily McAteer led the team in scoring for the sixth game in a row and team leading ninth time this season with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting as the Golden Rams shot 46.9 % from the field and a season-high 42.9 % from beyond the arc in the victory.
Through 16 games, West Chester enters play on Wednesday night, averaging 73.4 points per game on 43.4 % shooting on the year to boast an 11-5 record as the midway point of PSAC East play draws closer. The Golden Rams picked up their first road win of the year on Wednesday night and began trending back in the right direction in their home/away splits, now averaging 67.5 points per game away from home after a 73-54 triumph over Kutztown. West Chester continues to be one of the top rebounding teams in the league, averaging 41.7 rebounds per game, which ranks third best in the league, trailing only Seton Hill (42.9) and Lock Haven (41.9). McAteer, who is the Golden Rams leading scorer on the year, averaging 16.3 points per game, is a crucial piece of this rebounding effort, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game, while
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) is close behind, averaging rebounds per game, while also averaging 11.1 points per game. McAteer has been among the best players in the league in recent weeks, leading the team in scoring in each of the last four games and averaging 24.3 points per game over that span, while also ranking fifth in the PSAC in scoring in league action, averaging 16.8 points per game. Getting out to a fast start has also proved crucial for head coach
Kiera Wooden's bunch this season, as the team has won after trailing at the end of the first 10 minutes just once, with that occurrence coming back on opening night against Elizabeth City State. Outside of that victory, West Chester has trailed just three times after the first quarter and has lost all three of those games, falling to Jefferson, Gannon, and California. The team is also 11-2 when leading at the half and 0-3 when trailing at the break.
Johnson, who was recently featured in an interview with Matt Leon of KYW News Radio (check out that interview
here), is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.6 points per game, while also leading the team and PSAC in assists, averaging 5.1 assists per game. The graduate student guard has continued her impressive climb through the record books this season, breaking the career assist record in a win over East Stroudsburg back on January 13 and now residing just 86 points away from the WCU career scoring record held by Brittany Sicinski (2012-16).
SCOUTING SHIPPENSBURG
Shippensburg enters play following a loss in its last game, falling to East Stroudsburg on the road by a 72-60 final. Tied at the half at 30-30, East Stroudsburg outscored Shippensburg 23-12 in the third quarter to break the tie and take a lead that would never be relinquished on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors held Shippensburg to just 31.6 % shooting from the field and 28.6 % from beyond the arc while also limiting the Raiders to just 32 rebounds, winning the rebounding battle by a 39-32 margin. Treasure George led the team in scoring, finishing with 21 points, while freshman Mia Johnson led the team in rebounding, coming away with nine. Johnson also led the team in steals in the setback, finishing with three thefts to help disrupt the Warrior offense.
George, the Raiders graduate student guard, has been the top offensive weapon for head coach Kristy Trn's bunch this season, averaging 15.1 points per game, which leads the team, while also dishing an average of 2.2 assists per game, which is second best on the team. Taja Colbert, who leads the team in assists, averaging 2.3 per game, is also second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.0 points per game. As a team, Shippensburg averages 55.5 points per game, shooting 34.6 % from the field and 28.6 % from beyond the arc, while allowing its opponents to score an average of 65.9 points per game, shooting 41.8 % from the field and 29.1 % from deep.
UP NEXT:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon against Mansfield beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday will be the first of two at home for the Golden Rams as the team is back in action in front of the home crowd on Monday night against Millersville beginning at 7:30 p.m.
