Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WCU’s comeback falls short
Johnson posts 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists as Golden Rams season ends
Leah Johnson turned in yet another outstanding performance Friday — finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. However, it was not enough to guide the seventh-seeded West Chester University women’s basketball team to an NCAA Tournament upset as host Fairmont State escaped with a 72-68 victory.
“I’m very proud of this team,” said WCU head coach Kiera Wooden. “Certainly not the ending we wanted, but I couldn’t ask for more in terms of the effort, focus, and heart this group has shown. We came up short, and obviously, it wasn’t the ending we wanted, but this group worked and fought so hard, and I will always be proud of them. They gave tonight everything they have and have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about.”
Johnson, who was already the Golden Rams’ career-leading scorer and career assist leader, ended her time wearing the Purple and Gold as the first of three West Chester players in double figures. Mia Kozicki finished with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds, while Briana Seltzer chipped in 11 of her own.
Fairmont State started the game on an 11-0 run and led by as many as 13 late in the second, but West Chester (24-7 overall) never wavered, continually battling back to keep the game close throughout the night. The Golden Rams continued comeback bids, which saw the Purple and Gold erase double-digit deficits throughout the night, helped West Chester nearly steal one on Friday night as the seventh-seeded Golden Rams found themselves down just one in the final seconds of regulation. With no choice but to foul to stop the clock, West Chester sent Fairmont State to the line late, and
the hosts made the most of their chances, escaping with the win.
When asked about her group’s continued resilience, erasing double-digit deficits throughout the evening, Wooden said, “Certainly tip your cap to Fairmont State as well. They are a tremendous team who had an amazing night here in front of their home crowd. I’m certainly proud of our effort, as we didn’t panic and used our experience to handle the runs and fight our way back in throughout the night.”
West Chester made a comeback bid early in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to three (39-36) before another Fairmont State run stretched the lead back to 44-36 early in the third. West Chester continued its comeback bid as the third quarter continued, trimming the deficit back down to 48-45 with five minutes to play in the third. As it had throughout the evening, Fairmont State had an answer once again, countering with a 9-2 run to take a 57-47 lead with 1:51 to play in the third.
Fairmont State carried a 58-51 lead into the fourth quarter, but West Chester would not go away quietly. After a pull-up jumper by Johnson, West Chester scored the first four points of the final frame to cut the deficit to 58-55 with under eight minutes to play in regulation. West Chester continued its run as Seltzer tied the game at 58-58 with a huge 3-pointer off an assist from Johnson with 6:58 to play, evening the score for the first time all night.
Out of the media timeout, West Chester and Fairmont State traded makes as the Falcons retained a slim 66-64 lead with under two minutes to play in regulation. Fairmont State took a 68-64 lead at the free throw line and extended this lead to 69-64 after a 1-for-2 trip to the line.
West Chester cut into the lead with a big three by Emily McAteer with 1:04 to play in regulation. After a missed three by Fairmont State on the ensuing possession, West Chester found itself in an excellent position to steal one as the Golden Rams had possession down just two with 37 seconds to play in regulation. Out of a timeout, Johnson drove baseline, looking to tie the score and potentially head to the line, but the Falcon defense stood tall and forced the shot off the mark. Kozicki secured a rebound and went to the line after drawing a foul of her own. The junior forward hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it a one-point game, but with no choice but to foul, Fairmont State extended its lead back to three at the free-throw line.
Trailing by three with under 30 seconds to play, West Chester charged down the floor and took a late three through contact, but it was off the mark as second-seed Fairmont State survived the upset-minded Golden Rams to earn a 7268 victory in front of their home crowd.
Despite the setback, West Chester ended the game with a 48-38 lead in rebounding, including a 22-9 lead in offensive rebounding, which led to a 16-6 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 2422 lead in points in the paint and an 11-9 lead in points off the bench, led by Seltzer’s WCU career-high matching 11.