LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Following a setback against 2023 NCAA Tournament foe California (Pa.) to open 2024, the No. 21 West Chester University women's basketball team (8-4, 3-3) has shifted its attention to its PSAC East opener against East leader Lock Haven (11-1, 6-0) on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Today's game is the second two straight away from home to open 2024 for West Chester as the Golden Rams are still searching for their first road victory of the 2023-24 campaign. Following today's game, West Chester will return home to host Shepherd on Wednesday, January 10, before hosting East Stroudsburg on Saturday, January 13, which will also be Alumni Day in Hollinger.
SERIES INFORMATION
West Chester enters play on Saturday afternoon, holding a 36-14 lead in the all-time series against Lock Haven after sweeping the season series from the Bald Eagles a year ago. Before this sweep, West Chester had split the last four meetings against Lock Haven, snapping a five-game winning streak in the series for the Purple and Gold.
In the second meeting between the two sides a year ago, West Chester mustered just 19 points and trailed at the halftime break but outscored its foes by 10 in the second half to earn a 52-46 senior day victory over the Bald Eagles.
Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) led West Chester in scoring with 14 points in the victory, while
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) added 11 of her own as the Golden Rams extended their winning streak to 12 in a row with the triumph. West Chester shot just over 35.0 % from the field in the victory, shooting 35.3 % from the field and 28.6 % from three-point range while also shooting a solid 77.8 % from the line. The Golden Rams also ended the game with a 40-36 lead in rebounding, thanks to a pair of double-doubles by Kozicki and McAteer, who came away with 13 and 10 rebounds each.
FLOCK TALK
West Chester looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss at the hands of California (Pa.) on Wednesday night, which saw the team drop its third game in its last four outings. West Chester struggled throughout the afternoon on Wednesday, scoring just 16 first-half points while also committing a season-high 22 turnovers and shooting just 40.8 % from the field and 61.1 % at the line. Despite this uncharacteristic performance, West Chester nearly came back to steal one in the waning moments of regulation, pulling back to within two points with under 40 seconds to play and getting a three-point shot off in the closing seconds, which would have forced overtime had it gone. Johnson continued her climb through the record books on Wednesday, scoring a team-high 15 points while also contributing four assists, three rebounds, and three steals in the setback. Kozicki also finished in double figures, scoring 10 points as the lone other Golden Ram over 10 points in the setback.
Following her latest 15-point effort, which kept her as the lone player on the team to score in double figures in every game so far this season, Johnson is now 138 points away from the program scoring record while also sitting 11 assists shy of the assist record and 132 rebounds away from assistant coach
Allison Hostetter's guard rebounding record entering the final two months of the regular season. The graduate student guard continues to lead the team in scoring through 12 games, averaging 15.1 points per game, while McAteer and Kozicki are close behind, averaging 13.6 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. The trio of McAteer, Kozicki, and Johnson also lead the team in rebounding, averaging 7.1, 6.0, and 4.8 rebounds per game, respectively. Johnson also leads the squad in assists, averaging 5.0 helpers per game, which ranks second in the PSAC, trailing only Ella Kale of Bloomsburg, who averages 5.7 per game.
As a team, West Chester averages 73.1 points per game, shooting 43.3 % from the field and 25.1 % from beyond the arc, while holding opponents to an average of 58.8 points per game, shooting 35.9 % from the field and 24.5 % from three-point territory, which is 12th best in Division II women's basketball. West Chester also enters the game with a 40.3-34.2 rebound per game average and a +3.0 (14.3-17.3) advantage in the turnover battle, as taking care of the basketball has been a strong suit for the Golden Rams throughout much of the season.
SCOUTING LOCK HAVEN
Lock Haven has been as hot as anyone in the PSAC in recent weeks, entering play with a record of 11-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in league action after capping Crossover play with a 75-60 victory over Clarion on Wednesday night. The Haven's perfect start to league play has not been without its stressful moments for head coach Jennifer Smith and company, including a narrow 50-49 OT victory over Slippery Rock in its last home game on December 30 and a narrow 59-57 win over Pitt-Johnstown to open Crossover play. The Bald Eagles' most recent victory came against Clarion as Alana Robinson and Jenadia Jordan finished with 24 and 20 points each, and Lock Haven never trailed in the 15-point road victory.
Entering play averaging 68.8 points per game, Lock Haven shoots 41.8 % from the field and 31.5 % from beyond the arc while also converting 69.3 % of its attempts at the free throw line. The streaking Bald Eagles also enter play with a +7.0 (40.8-33.8) lead in rebounding and a +1.5 (19.0-17.5) lead in the turnover battle, posting a 0.7 assist-to-turnover ratio to this point in the season. Jordan and Robinson have been the top two scoring threats for Lock Haven this season, averaging 15.6 and 15.3 points per game, respectively, while Jordan also leads the team in assists, averaging 2.8 helpers per game. Madeline Evans, who recorded a 12-point/14-rebound double-double a few nights ago, leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, while also ranking fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 6.5 points per game.
UP NEXT:
West Chester returns to action next Wednesday night in its PSAC East home opener against Shepherd beginning at 5:30 p.m.
