WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting to help guide the West Chester University women's basketball team (20-5, 15-4) to a 64-59 victory over Shippensburg (5-21, 4-16) on Wednesday night in Hollinger Field House.
This victory, which saw West Chester erase a halftime deficit for the first time all season, marked the Golden Rams 12
th straight overall and 22
nd in Hollinger Field House as the team remains in strong control of second place in the PSAC East in the final two weeks of the regular season. West Chester has a trio of players in double figures as
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) scored 15, while
Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) added 13 to go along with eight off the bench from
Briana Seltzer (Reading, Pa./Reading).
West Chester found itself in unfamiliar waters on Wednesday night, trailing after 20 minutes of basketball for just the fourth time all season and the first time at home in 2023-24 and trailing by five early in the second half. West Chester outscored its guests by six in the second half, erasing the one-point halftime deficit and five-point deficit early in the second half thanks to a 10-0 run midway through the third en route to the victory.
West Chester shot 47.1 % (24-of-51) from the field in the victory, including a 16.7 % (3-of-18) effort from beyond the arc, while also shooting 65.0 % (13-of-20) from the line in the victory. West Chester shot very well in the second half to earn the victory, shooting 46.7 % (7-of-15) from the field in the third and 54.5 % (6-of-11) in the fourth, shooting 13-of-26 (50.0 %) for the half to complete the comeback victory.
West Chester and Shippensburg traded stops early, but the Golden Rams, led by a 38.5 % (5-of-13) effort from the field, carried a 12-7 lead into the second quarter.
West Chester stretched its lead to as many as seven early in the second quarter before a 6-0 run by Shippensburg helped the Raiders even the score at 22-22. West Chester snuck out to a 26-22 lead late in the second quarter before Shippensburg started another comeback effort, outscoring the Golden Rams 6-1 over the final minutes of the opening half to carry a 28-27 lead into the half. Shippensburg punctuated its first-half comeback with a buzzer-beating three and drew a foul on the shot, converting an ultra-rare four-point play to take a narrow 28-27 lead into the halftime break.
Johnson led West Chester in scoring in the first half, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, while McTamney added six of her own on 2-of-6 shooting, including one made three late in the first quarter.
Shippensburg took its largest lead of the game out of the break, scoring the first four points to take a 32-27 lead before West Chester countered with an 8-0 run to take a 35-32 lead. West Chester continued to lead as the third quarter continued, extending its advantage to 45-40 with under 30 seconds to play before carrying a slim 45-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
Shippensburg pulled back within one (45-44) to open the fourth, but West Chester countered with a 6-2 run to take a 51-46 lead with 5:55 to play in regulation. West Chester stretched its lead to as many as eight with under four minutes to play and never trailed in the fourth to escape with a 64-59 victory over upset-minded Shippensburg on Wednesday night.
Treasure George led Shippensburg in scoring with 16 points to go along with seven assists as one of two Raiders in double figures. Taja Colbert was the lone other Shippensburg player to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the setback.
As a team, Shippensburg shot 48.9 % (23-of-47) from the field and 25.0 % (3-of-12) from three-point range while also shooting 90.9 % (10-of-11) from the line.
Despite the setback, Shippensburg did manage to accomplish something few other teams have done this season, outrebounding the Golden Rams, ending the night with a 35-20 lead on the glass, which translated into a 10-1 lead in second-chance points. West Chester did, however, win the turnover battle by a gaping 28-12 margin, which led to a 24-6 advantage in points off turnovers, along with a 36-30 lead in points in the paint.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon at Mansfield beginning at 1 p.m. for the first of two straight away from Hollinger Field House.
