LOCK HAVEN, Pa.-  After a PSAC Quarterfinal victory over Kutztown on Wednesday night, the West Chester University women's basketball team (24-5) is finishing its preparations for its PSAC Semifinal matchup on Saturday afternoon against the top seed from the PSAC West in No. 4/3 Gannon (30-2). Opening tip is set for 1 p.m. inside Thomas Field House in Lock Haven as the Bald Eagles won the PSAC East regular season crown and earned hosting honors after defeating Millersville in the PSAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

FAN INFORMATION

Tickets: Ticket sales continue to be online only, with prices set at $10 for adults and $5 for students in grades K-12. Cash will not be accepted at the door. Fans must purchase their tickets via this link.

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) March 8, 2024

WITH A WIN

With a win on Saturday afternoon, West Chester will advance to the PSAC Championship game for the first time since the 2014-15 season. This appearance would be the Golden Rams third since head coach Kiera Wooden's playing days in 2002-03. West Chester remains in search of its first PSAC Championship after falling to Cal in each of its two most recent appearances.
For Gannon, a win would advance the Golden Knights to the PSAC Championship game for the fourth year in a row as head coach Cleve Wright's charges search for their third PSAC Crown in the last four years after falling to California (Pa.) in the Championship game a year ago.

On the other side of the bracket, Lock Haven defeated Millersville on Wednesday night, and Cal did the same against IUP, setting a matchup between the Bald Eagles and Vulcans at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon for a spot in the PSAC Championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m.

SERIES INFORMATION

West Chester will play in the PSAC Semifinals for the second year in a row, this year squaring off against Gannon as the two sides vie for a spot in the PSAC Championship game. West Chester has been seeking its first PSAC Championship game appearance since the 2014-15 season, which was head coach Kiera Wooden's first year at the helm, and is still in search of its first PSAC Conference Crown. West Chester trails Gannon 7-3 in the all-time series after falling to the Golden Knights in Erie by an 86-71 final earlier this season. West Chester has never faced Gannon on a neutral court, as WCU has played to a mark of 2-3 against Gannon at home and 1-4 in Erie.

LAST TIME THEY MET

When West Chester visited Erie to take on the Golden Knights earlier this season, Gannon jumped out to a 23-15 lead after the first quarter and never wavered, capturing an 86-71 victory over the Golden Rams in the final game before the Division II Holiday Break. Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) led West Chester in scoring with 20 points to go along with a pair of 16-point performances by Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) and Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh). Bri Claxon led Gannon in scoring with a game-high 21 points, along with 18 points and 10 rebounds from Sam Pirosko. West Chester shot a solid 45.5 % from the field in the setback, including a 28.6 % effort from beyond the arc, while Gannon caught fire in the win, shooting a blistering 54.2 % from the field and 44.4 % from three-point range to halt the upset-minded Golden Rams.

FLOCK TALK

West Chester punched its ticket to the PSAC Semifinals in dominant fashion on Wednesday night, outscoring Kutztown 15-0 to start the game and carrying a 19-3 lead into the second quarter. Anna McTamney scored 12 of the first 15 points of the game to help West Chester roll to a 69-42 victory over the Golden Bears. West Chester led 34-14 at the half and stretched its advantage to as many as 36 late in the fourth in the 27-point romp in front of the Hollinger faithful. Kutztown got their deficit below 30 just before the final horn by employing a late press on the Golden Rams bench in the waning moments of regulation, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome the early deficit in a season-ending loss for the Golden Bears. West Chester had three in double figures as Johnson finished with 14 points, along with 13 from Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley), as the Golden Rams shot 47.2 % from the field, shooting 50.0 % or better in the first, second, and fourth quarter of the victory.
 
On Friday afternoon, the PSAC released its 2023-24 Women's Basketball All-Conference teams and Major Award winners, and West Chester was well represented, landing four players on the All-League squad as McAteer and Johnson earned First Team honors, while Kozicki and McTamney were recognized as Second Team All-League honorees. In addition to earning her third career First Team All-Conference certificate, Johnson, who has rewritten the record books in her final year as a Golden Ram, was also named PSAC East Player of the Year, becoming the third Golden Ram to earn this prestigious honor and the first since Dana Weems in 2008.
 
McAteer enters the weekend as the Golden Rams leading scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game, which is third-best in the PSAC, trailing only Pirosko of Gannon and Christiane Frye of Seton Hill. Johnson, McTamney, and Kozicki make up the remaining three heads of the four-headed Monster that has led West Chester throughout the season, averaging 14.7, 11.1, and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Kozicki and McAteer lead the team in rebounding, averaging 7.3 and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Johnson and Kozicki lead in assists, averaging 5.9 and 2.1 per game. Johnson's 5.9 assists per game remains the best in the PSAC while ranking seventh in Division II women's basketball.
 
West Chester enters play on Saturday one win shy of matching the program record for most wins in a single season (25), which was set by the 1991-92 team that played to a record of 25-5. The Golden Rams heading into the weekend averaging 71.3 points per game and holding opponents to 53.9 per game, both of which rank in the top three in the PSAC and second among PSAC teams remaining in the Conference Tournament, trailing only Gannon, who averages 71.5 points per game, while holding opponents to just 51.5 per game. West Chester shoots a PSAC Tournament field second-best 43.3 % from the field, including a 28.3 % effort from beyond the arc. West Chester also holds opponents to an average of 35.4 % shooting from the field while also outrebounding opponents by a 40.6-32.1 (+8.5) margin.
 
SCOUTING GANNON

Gannon enters play as a consensus top-five team in Division II women's basketball, ranking fourth in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll and third in the Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) poll heading into the weekend. The top seed in the PSAC West and currently riding a six-game winning streak after being stunned by IUP earlier this season, Gannon enters play looking for its 31^st win of the 2023-24 season.

On Wednesday night, the Golden Knights returned to the PSAC Semifinals again after a 70-42 victory over Edinboro in the PSAC Quarterfinals. Gannon found itself locked in a good one against its neighbors on Wednesday night as the Golden Knights were tied at 16-16 after the first quarter and led by just two at the half but a big third quarter, which saw the hosts outscore their guests 24-8 made the difference. Gannon shot 40.4 % (23-of-57) from the field in the victory, including 42.9 % (9-of-21) from three-point range, while also hitting 15-of-17 at the stripe. Bri Claxon led Gannon in scoring with 15 points, while Sam Pirosko corralled nine rebounds, which helped Gannon end the game with a 45-39 lead in rebounding.

Gannon was also very well represented on the All-PSAC West squad released on Friday afternoon as Pirosko earned PSAC West Player of the Year honors while also earning First Team All-Conference honors alongside Claxon as the two Golden Knight players on the all-league squad. Cleve Wright also earned PSAC West Coach of the Year honors after guiding his charges to a record of 29-2 at the end of the regular season. Pirosko leads the PSAC in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game while also corralling a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game. Pirosko also ranks third on the team in assists, averaging 2.0 per game, along with a team-high 1.6 steals per game. Claxon is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game as well.

As a team, Gannon averages 71.5 points per game while holding opponents to an average of just 51.5 points per game, shooting 44.4 % from the field while limiting opponents to 33.4 % shooting from the field. The top-seed Golden Knights shoot 32.8 % from three-point range, while limiting opponents to just 23.9 % from three-point range. Gannon also shoots 78.0 % from the line and holds a 38.0-32.9 (+5.1) lead in rebounding while also holding a +4.1 (19.8-15.4) turnover margin.