LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Playing in its third PSAC Semifinal since 2018, the West Chester University women's basketball team (24-6) entered its semifinal against the top seed from the PSAC West in No. 4/3 Gannon (31-2). One of the hottest teams in Division II women's basketball as winners of its last 16 in a row, West Chester gave Gannon everything it could handle, but the Golden Knights used an 18-7 run late in the fourth to earn a 79-73 victory over the upset-minded Golden Rams.

West Chester led for much of the game and never trailed by more than four until the late stages of the contest. Still, PSAC West Player of the Year Sam Pirosko turned in a career-high 40 points and 19 rebounds to lift the Golden Knights to their fourth consecutive PSAC Championship game appearance dating back to the 2020 season. Tomorrow afternoon, Gannon will face the Lock Haven/California (Pa.) winner in search of its third PSAC Championship in the last four seasons.

Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley) led West Chester in scoring with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting while also going 8-for-8 at the line as the first of four Golden Rams in double figures. Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) finished with 21 points of her own, while Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) and Morgan Warley (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) finished with 15 and 11 each. Kozicki also led the way in rebounding, posting a team-best 10 rebounds in the setback. Johnson also finished with eight rebounds and a team-high four assists.

West Chester finished the game shooting 41.3 % (29-of-63) from the field, including a 3-for-17 (17.6 %) from three-point range, while also shooting 78.3 % (18-of-23) from the line in the setback.

Gannon scored the first four points of the game, but the Golden Rams countered with a 6-0 run to take a quick 6-4 lead over the Golden Knights in the early going. The Golden Rams and Golden Knights continued trading runs as the first quarter continued, and Gannon held a slim 14-12 lead with 3:19 to play in the first quarter.

McAteer was a big part of the Golden Rams first quarter, scoring 10 of the first 12 points for the Golden Rams to help West Chester stay within striking distance of the fourth-ranked Golden Knights.

Thanks to six late points from Johnson, West Chester scored eight of the final 10 points of the first quarter to carry a 20-16 lead into the second.

West Chester and Gannon traded makes early in the first quarter, but the Golden Rams eventually snuck out to a 29-23 lead with six minutes to play in the second, which was its largest of the afternoon to that point. The upset-minded Golden Rams stretched their lead to 31-23, but Gannon countered with a quick 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 31-30 with two minutes to play in the first half.
After a defensive stop, PSAC West player of the year Pirosko nearly gave West Chester the lead with a tight turnaround layup in the lane, but Kozicki stood her up and sent the play back the other way. The two teams traded a pair of stops each way, but Pirosko eventually extended the run to 9-0 to claim a 32-31 lead with under a minute to play in the first half. After being held without a made field goal for the final five minutes of the half, West Chester took the lead into the halftime break after a perfect 2-for-2 trip to the line by McAteer.

West Chester shot north of 50.0 % from the field for much of the first half and ended the first 20 minutes shooting 43.3 % (13-of-30) from the field, including a 0-for-6 effort from three-point range, while also going 7-for-9 at the line through the opening 20 minutes.

McAteer led West Chester in scoring in the first half with 12 points on 4-of-5 from the field while also going 4-for-4 from the line. Johnson was the other Golden Ram in double figures at the end of the first 20 minutes, scoring 10 points, while Kozicki was already flirting with a double-double, scoring nine points to go along with seven rebounds.

For Gannon, Pirosko led the way with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting. The Golden Knights shot 34.4 % (11-of-32) from the field, including a 3-for-9 (33.3 %) effort from three-point range, while also going a perfect 7-for-7 at the line.

After a scoreless minute-and-a-half to open the third quarter, Pirosko restored a lead for Gannon with a driving layup, making the score 34-33. West Chester responded with another 76-0 run to take a 39-34 lead before a quick 4-0 run cut the WCU lead to 39-38 with five minutes to play in the third. Johnson stretched the lead back to three with another pull-up jumper, but Gannon continued its comeback bid, quickly cutting the West Chester lead back to 41-40. Kozicki extended the WCU lead back to four with four minutes to play in the third after a three-point play.

Claxon hit a clutch left-wing three to cut the WCU lead to 46-45 before inching back out to a 50-49 lead after another corner three from Kate Ratliff. With another late trip to the line, McAteer gave West Chester a 51-50 lead with under a minute to play in the third. Gannon had the last shot of the third but could not get it to fall, heading to the fourth in unfamiliar territory, trailing 51-50 against the Golden Rams.

The Golden Knights drew a quick foul just 30 seconds into the fourth, which led Gannon to retake a 52-51 lead after a perfect 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe. Gannon hit from three-point range to take its largest lead of the game since the first quarter, but Morgan Warley (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) hit a pull-up jumper to erase the deficit quickly.

Claxon gave Gannon a 59-56 lead with seven minutes to play and also picked up a big fourth foul call on Kozicki as the Golden Knights looked to complete their comeback. Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) followed this up with a clutch three-point play of her own to tie the score again at 61-61.
Gannon went on a 6-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 67-61, with three minutes to play in regulation after a pair of perfect trips to the line from Pirosko. Claxon hit a huge three with 2:40 to play in regulation, which gave the top-seed Golden Knights a 70-61 lead late.

Trailing by eight, McAteer picked an excellent time for the Golden Rams first three of the game with 1:31 to play, cutting the deficit to 71-66. Warley went 1-for-2 at the line to continue the Golden Ram comeback bid, cutting the Gannon lead to 71-67 with just under a minute to play in regulation.

Needing some more makes from three-point range to complete a comeback of its own, West Chester had a pair of looks from distance with just over 45 seconds to play, but both chances were off the mark, and Pirosko grabbed her 18th rebound of the game before being fouled. Pirosko went to the line and hit both, extending the lead back to 75-67 with 43.9 seconds to play.

West Chester continued its comeback bid, getting a pair of makes from distance from Johnson and Warley in the last 30 seconds, but Gannon continued to be tough at the line, hitting 28-of-33 (84.8 %) from the stripe, including 13-of-16 down the stretch to escape with a six-point victory.

Gannon shot 34.9 % (22-of-63) from the field, including a 7-for-18 (38.9 %) effort from three-point range. Gannon shot below 40.0 % from the field in each quarter but hit shots when it needed them most, including four big makes from three-point range in the fourth to foil the Golden Rams upset bid.

Pirosko was nothing short of outstanding in the victory, scoring 40 points along with 19 rebounds and four assists, while Bri Claxon added 17 thanks in part to a game-high three makes from three-point range along with ten from Ratliff.

Gannon ended the game with a 44-38 lead in rebounding, including a 19-13 lead on the offensive glass, which translated into a slim 20-19 lead in second-chance points. Gannon also ended the game with a 28-26 lead in points in the paint and a 17-8 lead in points off turnovers after forcing West Chester into 11 turnovers on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Knights also ended the game with a 10-4 lead in points off the break and a 7-0 lead in points off the bench, thanks to a team-high three from Maddy Wheatley.

Up Next:

West Chester will now join the legions of teams waiting to learn if they have earned a spot in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Division II women's basketball selection show will air on NCAA.com at 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday night.