WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College basketball teams make the longest trip of the Presidents' Athletic Conference regular-season this weekend when traveling to Thomas More College in Kentucky. 

The W&J women (14-6, 9-4 PAC) will attempt to be the first team to knock off the fifth-ranked Saints (20-0, 13-0 PAC) in the opening game Saturday at 1:00 pm at the Connor Convocation Center.  The men's game will follow at 3:00 pm and features the league's third-place (Thomas More: 10-9, 9-2 PAC) and fourth-place (W&J: 11-10, 6-6 PAC) teams. 

Thomas More is one of six undefeated teams left in NCAA Division III.  The Saints have rolled through their competition, winning by an average of 41.0 points per game.  TMC has been even more impressive in conference play as they score 100.3 points on average and limit opponents to 49.5 points (+50.8 margin of victory). 

The Saints have elevated their play from their recent run of success behind University of Florida transfer Sydney Moss.  Moss leads the nation in scoring (26.8 ppg) and has helped TMC lead the country in overall team scoring (94.8) and field-goal percentage (.515).  Point guard Devin Beasley is second in the nation with 8.1 assists per game and Jenny Burgoyne leads all NCAA Division III players in field goal percentage (.656).

In the first meeting between the two teams, Thomas More took a 14-8 lead in the all-time series with a 96-62 victory in Washington.  Moss (13-18 FG) had 29 points in 27 minutes of action, while Burgoyne made 9-of-10 shots and finished with 19.  Beka Bellhy led the Presidents with 15 points and five rebounds.  TMC led 21-15 midway through the first half and then took control with a 21-8 run over a seven-minute span. 

W&J solidified its hold on third place in the PAC standings Wednesday night with a key 73-65 win over Waynesburg.  The Presidents own a one-game edge on both Westminster and Waynesburg for the No. 3 seed and W&J has the tiebreaker on the Titans after sweeping that season series. 

Chelsea Apke scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for W&J in the win over the Yellow Jackets.  Apke ranks 31st in NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (.560), while Kara Seamon is 39th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.05).  Seamon is three assists shy of dishing out 100 for a second-straight season and Saturday will mark her 103rd game in a W&J uniform.  With five regular-season games and at least one PAC Tournament game remaining, Seamon is on pace to pass former teammate Vanessa Rivera '12 for the fifth-most games played in school history. 

After a four-game home stand, the W&J men will play three of their final four regular-season games on the road.  W&J and Thomas More will meet for the 25th time with the Saints leading by a 14-10 margin.  The Saints have won five of the last six games in the series, but W&J claimed last year's meeting in Kentucky by a 92-82 margin.  Nate Bellhy pumped in a career-high 37 points after making 7-of-8 shots from three-point range and he also grabbed 12 rebounds. 

Earlier this year, both teams shot better than 47 percent, but the Saints made 8-of-25 three-pointers and 23-of-25 foul shots to earn an 82-73 triumph at the Henry Memorial Center.  2013 PAC Player of the Year D'Carlo Hayes led four Saints in double figures with 20 points, while Bellhy collected 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Presidents. 

Starting with the win at W&J on Jan. 4, the Saints have won eight of nine games with the only loss occurring at conference-leading Saint Vincent.  Thomas More has won all eight games by at least six points, including an 81-71 victory at Geneva Wednesday night.  Drew Mumford made 8-of-11 shots and finished with 21 points and six steals. 

Mumford, the league's fourth-leading scorer, leads the Saints at 17.1 points, while Hayes contributes 13.5 points and 3.0 assists per game.  Thomas More leads the PAC in free throw percentage (.783) and the Hayes-Mumford duo are both shooting over 86 percent from the line. 

The Presidents are coming off a tough 82-77 home loss to Waynesburg.  W&J has played six home games since Jan. 15 and the Presidents will now have to secure the No. 4 spot and final PAC Tournament home quarterfinal contest with road success.  W&J owns a 4-4 road record this winter, including three wins in five PAC away games. 

Brett Rubin-Goldstein kept the Presidents in the game late against Waynesburg with a pair of long three-pointers in the final 75 seconds.  He has averaged 11.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in the past five games. 

W&J has three of the top 25 scorers in the PAC in Bellhy (17.9 ppg, 3rd), Mike Resnik (10.4 ppg, T24th) and Doug Johnson (10.4 ppg, T24th).  Johnson has made at least one three-pointer in eight consecutive games and ranks third in the league in three-point makes (43).  Bellhy's 7.1 defensive rebounds per game leads the PAC. 

Both W&J teams will hit the road again on Feb. 12 at Grove City for a 5:30/7:30 pm PAC doubleheader.