CALIFORNIA, Pa.- After ending 2023 with a victory over Clarion, the No. 21 West Chester University women's basketball team (8-4, 3-3) looked to open 2024 with a win over 2023 NCAA Tournament foe California (Pa.) (9-3, 4-2). West Chester found itself behind early and closed the Vulcan lead to just one in the third quarter, but Cal never fully relinquished its lead, holding off the Golden Rams for a 54-51 victory to open 2024.
West Chester struggled mightily in the early stages of regulation, falling behind by seven to open the game and scoring just 16 points on 8-of-22 shooting and 16 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action. West Chester trailed by as many as 13 early in the second half but mounted a valiant second-half comeback, which saw the team pull back to within a point in the third quarter and two points in the late stages of the fourth after a pair of layups by
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) and
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) in the late stages.
Trailing by six with 50 seconds to play, Johnson raced down the court and got a quick layup off an assist by
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley), and West Chester orchestrated an excellent trap off the ensuing inbounds play, which led to a layup by McTamney, bringing the score back to 53-51 with 37 seconds to play. This quick run forced a Cal timeout as the Vulcans looked to put the game away. Following the timeout, the Vulcans worked the ball around the perimeter well, successfully taking time off the clock before missing a three-pointer with 10 seconds to play. The Vulcans were able to control the rebound with seven seconds and were fouled in the process, sending the hosts to the line with the chance to put the game out of reach. A 1-for-2 trip to the line by Allycia Harris kept West Chester's chances alive with under seven seconds to play as the Golden Rams called a timeout of their own before taking the final shot of the night. Off the inbounds play in front of the Golden Ram bench, Johnson hoisted a heavily contested three, but the shot was off the mark as the Vulcans escaped with the 54-51 victory over the hard-charging Golden Rams.
Johnson led West Chester in scoring in the setback, finishing with 15 points, while
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) added 10 as the other Golden Ram in double figures.
Capitalizing off early West Chester turnovers, Cal jumped out to a 7-0 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the first quarter. Neither side scored again for the next two-and-a-half minutes as
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) finally got the Golden Rams on the scoreboard with five minutes remaining in the first. With its first points of the afternoon, West Chester started to find its way offensively, rallying back to trail by just four (12-8) heading into the second quarter.
In the second, West Chester pulled back to within a pair (16-14) after Johnson made a layup on a fast break following a steal by
Morgan Warley (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria). The host Vulcans answered quickly, going on an 11-2 run to take a 25-16 lead over the Golden Rams with under three minutes to play in the opening half. The Vulcan defense continued to dominate in the opening half as the hosts carried a 29-16 lead into the halftime break.
West Chester shot just 36.4 % (8-of-22) from the field in the first half, including an 0-for-4 effort from three-point range, while the hosts shot just 35.3 % (12-of-34) from the field and 3-of-11 (27.3 %) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans ended the half with a 9-2 lead in offensive rebounding, which translated into a 10-0 lead in second-chance points, while also ending the half with a 16-10 lead in turnovers and a subsequent 9-4 lead in points off turnovers.
McAteer led West Chester in scoring in the first half with six points, while Alicia Young ended the opening half with a game-high nine points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Cal extended its lead to 31-18 early in the third quarter, but West Chester countered with a 15-3 run to trim the Vulcan lead to 34-33 with 2:44 to play in the frame following a made layup by
Briana Seltzer (Reading, Pa./Reading). Jayde Boyd (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) led West Chester in scoring during the run, scoring five points, while Johnson added four of her own to help bring the Golden Rams back. Following this, West Chester had the opportunity to take its first lead of the game, but the Vulcan defense stiffened once again, holding the Golden Rams scoreless down the stretch to carry a 40-33 lead into the fourth quarter.
After outscoring its hosts 17-11 in the third, West Chester continued its ill-fated comeback attempt in the fourth, outscoring the Vulcans 18-14 in the final 10 minutes of action. Still, the hosts were able to hold on for the three-point victory over the visiting Golden Rams.
Alicia Young led Cal in scoring with 15 points, while Dejah Terrell added 13 to go along with 11 from Iyahnna Williams. Terrell also led all players in rebounding, finishing with 13 rebounds to record a double-double in the victory over the nationally-ranked Golden Rams.
West Chester ended the game shooting 40.8 % (20-of-49) from the field, including an 0-for-8 effort from three-point range, while also making just 11-of-18 (61.1 %) at the line. The Vulcans shot just 32.8 % (19-of-58) from the field, including 18.8 % (3-of-16) from three-point range, while also shooting 72.2 % (13-of-18) at the line. The hosts won the game with their efforts on the glass, ending the game with a 44-29 lead in rebounding, including a 17-6 advantage on the offensive glass, which resulted in a 16-4 lead in second-chance points.
Despite committing a season-high 22 turnovers, West Chester ended the game with a 25-22 lead in the turnover battle and a 21-12 advantage in points off turnovers. Johnson led the team in steals with three, while Kozicki, McAteer, McTamney, and Seltzer came away with two steals each.
Up Next:
West Chester will need to rebound quickly as the Golden Rams travel to Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon for a crucial matchup against the PSAC East-leading Bald Eagles beginning at 1 p.m.
