WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Since recording an 82-27 victory over Shepherd earlier this month that served as the team's largest win over a PSAC East foe since 1994, the West Chester University women's basketball team has found its stride once again, winning four in a row to improve its record to 12-5 overall and 7-4 in league play. This winning streak has also seen West Chester halt a troubling trend of road losses, winning each of its last two away from home with victories over Kutztown (first road win over the Golden Bears since 2018) and Shippensburg on each of the last two Wednesday evenings. West Chester returns home on Saturday looking to extend its winning streak to five in a row when Mansfield visits Hollinger Field House for a 1 p.m. start.
SERIES INFORMATION
On Saturday afternoon, West Chester will host Mansfield, looking to extend its winning streak over the Mounties to four in a row after sweeping the season series a year ago. West Chester split the series with Mansfield in 2021-22, which halted a 20-game winning streak in the series for WCU. West Chester holds a 66-11 lead in the all-time series after sweeping the series a year ago. In Hollinger last January, West Chester got an early lead and never looked back, rolling to a 75-43 victory over Mansfield.
Leah Johnson became the fourth Golden Ram in school history to record a triple-double in this game, while
Emily McAteer helped her make some additional history, recording a double-double of her own to become the first Golden Ram duo to record a triple-double and double-double in a PSAC East game.
FLOCK TALK
After earning a victory over Kutztown in its lone game of the week a week ago, West Chester showed no signs of rust on Wednesday night at Shippensburg, leading throughout the night and leading by as many as 33 in the late stages of the fourth quarter in an 82-55 victory over the Raiders. West Chester shot a season-best 55.0 % from the field in the victory, which saw the team shoot north of 50.0 % from the floor in each of the first three quarters, shooting 61.5 % in the first, 56.3 % in the second and a scorching 64.7 % in the third.
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) continued her stellar run in PSAC East play, scoring a game-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point territory while also tying for the team lead in rebounding with seven in the victory.
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) continued her march toward the scoring record on Wednesday night as well, scoring 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting as the third Golden Ram in double figures, which moved her just 70 points away from the record, while also logging a team-best eight assists in the victory.
West Chester's recent road success has greatly improved its home/away splits in recent weeks, reducing its point-per-game differential to 7.3 (76.9/g at home vs 69.6/g away). West Chester has been impressive at home in recent years, and this season has been no different as the team is unbeaten in Hollinger, winning nine of its ten games at home by 18 points or more. West Chester has not lost in front of its home crowd in over a year, with the last setback coming on January 11, 2023, vs Shippensburg.
The duo of McAteer and Johnson has been a difficult combination to stop for opponents this season as they rank first and second on the team, averaging 16.6 and 14.6 points per game, while McAteer leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. For her part, Johnson leads the team in assists, averaging 5.2 helpers per game. Since the start of East play, McAteer has been among the best in the league, ranking fifth in scoring, averaging 24.0 points per game and scoring 20 or more in four of five games, including a 33-point effort vs Lock Haven in the Golden Rams East opener.
SCOUTING MANSFIELD
Mansfield enters play following a 61-46 loss in its last game to East-leading Lock Haven as the Bald Eagles remained unbeaten and high atop the PSAC East standings. Mansfield battled throughout the evening on Wednesday night, trailing by four at the end of the first, five at the half, and four heading into the fourth quarter, but the Mounties were never able to get over the hump and pull the road upset to hand the Bald Eagles their first PSAC loss of the season. Jasmine Hilton led the team in scoring with 13 points, while also corralling seven rebounds as she enters play on Saturday third in the PSAC in rebounding, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Mansfield averages 65.5 points per game on 40.3 % shooting from the field and 33.2 % from beyond the arc, led by Hilton, who averages 16.0 points per game as one of two Mounties to average in double figures.
UP NEXT:
Saturday is the first of a tight back-to-back homestand for West Chester and the first of three of four games at home. West Chester returns to action on Monday night against Millersville, beginning at 5:30, before visiting Bloomsburg on Wednesday night in the final game of the first half of PSAC East play.
