WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) became the first player in team history to have two triple-doubles in her career with a 20-point, 11-assist, and 10-rebound effort to help lead the West Chester University women's basketball team (13-5, 8-4) to an 87-57 victory over Mansfield (8-10, 5-8) on Saturday afternoon.
Johnson picked up her first career triple-double a year ago against Mansfield in Hollinger as she and
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) became the first teammate duo to record a triple-double and double-double in a PSAC East game in program history. Johnson and McAteer duplicated this today as McAteer finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds of her own in the victory.
Prior to the game, West Chester had the chance to honor
Jayde Boyd (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) for scoring her 1000
th career point earlier this season in a victory over Clarion.
Johnson and McAteer were two of five Golden Rams in double figures in the victory. Anna
McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) finished with 11 points as the third Golden Ram starter in double figures. West Chester ended the game with a 34-17 lead in points off the bench thanks to a career-high 12 points from
Rachel Conran (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), who picked up all 12 in rapid succession with four made threes in the fourth quarter. At the same time,
Briana Seltzer (Reading, Pa./Reading) added a Golden Ram career-high 10 of her own in the victory.
The first quarter was a slow start for both teams offensively as the Golden Rams shot just 31.8 % (7-of-22) from the field but managed to hold a 16-12 lead over the Mountaineers heading into the second quarter.
West Chester extended its lead in the second, stretching the advantage to as many as 19 just at the half after a perfect 2-for-2 trip to the line by McAteer with under a second remaining in the opening half. Johnson and McAteer both came close to a double-double in the first half alone, finishing with 12 and eight points, respectively, while both players corralled eight rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
West Chester started the second quarter on a 6-0 run, which gave the Golden Rams a 22-12 lead with nine minutes to play until halftime, and a 7-0 run later in the quarter helped the hosts carry a 39-20 lead into the halftime break.
After shooting an improved 42.9 % (9-for-21) in the second quarter, West Chester finished the first half shooting 37.2 % (16-of-43) from the field and 25.0 % (3-of-12) from three-point range after connecting on a pair of threes in the first quarter. West Chester was also a perfect 4-for-4 at the line in the first half, making all four attempts in the second quarter.
For Mansfield, Jasmine Hilton led the way in the first half with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting and shot 26.9 % (7-of-26) from the field while shooting 11.1 % (1-of-9) from three-point range with the lone make going to Cydney Stanton early in the second quarter.
West Chester never found much trouble in the second half, opening the proceedings with a 10-2 run and never looking back en route to the 30-point victory on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's victory kept West Chester perfect at home on the year, improving the squad to 11-0 in games in front of the Hollinger Field House crowd while also extending the overall streak, which dates back to January 11 of the 2022-23 season.
West Chester overcame a slow start offensively to lead by as many as 32 late in the third quarter, as the Golden Rams never trailed en route to an 87-57 victory over the Mounties. West Chester shot 47.9 % (35-of-73) from the field, including a 33.3 % (8-of-24) effort from beyond the arc, while also hitting 9-of-10 (90.0 %) from the line.
For Mansfield, Jasmine Hilton led the Mounties in scoring as one of three players in double figures with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds. Local product Danae Ellzy finished with 16 points in the loss, while Cydney Stanton added 13 of her own as the third and final Mountie in double figures.
Mansfield shot 34.5 % (20-of-58) from the field in the setback, including 15.4 % (4-of-26) from beyond the arc, while also shooting 65.0 % (13-of-20) from the line.
West Chester ended the game with a 50-32 lead in rebounding, including a 12-6 advantage on the offensive glass, which translated into a 9-4 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also won the turnover battle once again, winning by a 14-9 margin, which led to a 12-8 lead in points off turnovers, while also finishing the game with a 38-20 lead in points in the paint and a 12-6 lead in points off the break.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Monday night against Millersville beginning at 5:30 p.m.
