WEST CHESTER, Pa.- After becoming the first player in team history to record two career triple-doubles in the victory over Mansfield on Saturday afternoon,
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) added a third to her career total on Monday night against Millersville (7-12, 5-8) finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to help lead the West Chester University women's basketball team (14-5, 9-4) to a 73-45 victory over the Marauders.
Johnson is the first Division II women's basketball player to record two or more triple-doubles in the same season since Audrey Tingle (West Liberty) and Tori Pearce (Flagler) in the 2021-22 season. Johnson is also the first PSAC player to accomplish this feat since Angela Heintz did so for Mercyhurst in the 2016-17 season.
The graduate student guard was one of three Golden Rams in double figures as
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
The Golden Rams overcame a slow start on Monday night, which saw the team trail by as many as seven late in the first quarter but led 13-12 after one and by as many as 30 late in the fourth en route to the 73-45 victory over the Marauders.
West Chester started the game off as cold as could be from the field, shooting just 27.8 % (5-of-18) from the field and 33.3 % (2-for-6) from the line in the first 10 minutes. West Chester found itself down 12-5 with two minutes to play in the first but closed on an 8-0 run thanks to five points from
Morgan Warley (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) to take a 13-12 lead into the second.
In the second quarter, West Chester and Millersville continued to trade baskets for much of the frame, but a late run by the Golden Rams allowed the hosts to carry a 37-26 lead into the halftime break. The Golden Rams shot a much improved 55.6 % (10-of-18) in the second quarter to increase their shooting percentage to 41.7 % (15-of-36) heading into the halftime break. The Golden Rams knocked down a pair of threes in the second quarter as Warley and McAteer each connected once from distance to help West Chester overcome its slow start and carry an 11-point lead into halftime.
McAteer led all scorers in the first half with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Makiah Shaw led Millersville in scoring with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting while also going 2-for-2 at the line. The Marauders shot 41.7 % from the field in the first quarter and saw their percentage drop slightly in the second, shooting 35.7 % from the field as the Marauders went to the half shooting 38.5 % (10-for-28), including an 0-for-5 effort from three-point range.
In the second half, West Chester found its stride, shooting an even 50.0 % in the third quarter to extend its lead to 18 heading into the fourth before further stretching the advantage to as many as 30 in the late stages of the fourth quarter.
West Chester ended the game shooting 39.4 % (28-of-71) from the field and 22.2 % (4-of-18) from three-point range while also connecting on 13-of-18 (72.2 %) of its attempts at the line with the lone miss after the first quarter coming in the late stages of the fourth, which led to Johnson recording her third career triple-double and second in as many games.
After shooting north of 40.0 % from the field in the first quarter, Millersville cooled off as the game went on, shooting below 35.0 % the rest of the way to shoot just 32.7 % (18-of-55) for the game, including a 1-of-14 (7.1 %) effort from three-point range. The Marauders also shot an even 50.0 % (8-of-16) from the line, connecting on just 2-of-6 at the stripe in the second half.
Jillian Crawford led Millersville in scoring with 14 points off the bench, while Shaw finished with 11 in the setback.
West Chester ended the game with a 51-38 lead in rebounding, including a 20-12 lead on the offensive glass, which led to a 15-10 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 16-6 lead in turnovers, which translated into a 20-2 lead in points off turnovers. West Chester also finished the game with a 34-22 lead in points in the paint and an 8-0 lead in points off the break.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday night at Bloomsburg beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Golden Rams will be home to open February as PSAC East leader Lock Haven comes calling for a 1 p.m. tip.
