Box Score CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. --
Kara Seamon scored a career-high 23 of Washington & Jefferson's school-record point total during a 101-91 Presidents' Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Semifinal victory over second-seeded Saint Vincent on Friday night at Thomas More's Connor Convocation Center.Â
The third-seeded Presidents (20-7) advance to play the host Thomas More Saints (27-0) in a rematch of last year's title game tomorrow at 4:00 pm. The third-ranked and top-seeded Saints advanced with a 106-88 triumph over fourth-seeded Waynesburg. The Saints' leading scorer Sydney Moss set a NCAA Division III record with 63 points Friday night.Â
W&J is in search of its sixth PAC women's basketball championship and first since 2006. The Saints are aiming for their eighth-straight league title.Â
The Presidents, who earned their second-straight PAC semifinal win over the Bearcats, topped 100 points for the first time in history, breaking the previous school record of 99 points scored on Dec. 17, 2004 versus Tri-State (now Trine). W&J also reached 20 victories for the 10th time in school history, all of which have been obtained since the 2002-03 season.Â
Saint Vincent (18-9) started off strong with a 13-6 lead, but the Presidents fought back to eventually tie (36-36) on a Seamon three-point play at the 3:56 mark.Â
Beka Bellhy followed with two free throws and W&J held its first lead since scoring the first basket of the game. However, W&J was held without a field goal since Seamon's three-point play and SVC took a 42-40 lead into halftime.Â
The Bearcats held on to the lead until
Chelsea Apke's jumper at the 13:37 mark pushed W&J ahead 56-55. The lead traded hands fiveour times over the next four minutes, but W&J scored seven-straight points, including a key three-pointer by
Alexa Burzese to make it a 73-67 game with 9:43 left.Â
Another Burzese triple at the 6:55 mark ignited a 9-0 spurt and the Presidents established control with an 86-74 advantage with 5:34 left. The Bearcats closed to within six four times the rest of the way, but Seamon and Burzese closed out the game from the free throw line. Burzese's free throws with 34 ticks remaining pushed W&J over the 100-point mark for the first time in school history.Â
Seamon made 15-of-16 free throws and added seven assists during the win, while Bellhy (11-11 FTs) finished one point short of tying her career high with 25 points. Apke delivered 18 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and Burzese dropped in 15 points (3-4 3's) off the bench. W&J shot 55 percent (29-53) and dominated the boards with a 39-24 edge.Â
Elle Collins led SVC with 24 points.Â
W&J has lost 10 consecutive games versus Thomas More since being the last PAC team to knock off the Saints on Jan. 7, 2010 by a 61-57 margin in Washington.Â