By Danielle Kochka, Sports Information Assistant
 
The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team came away with another victory in the Presidents' Athletic Conference when they defeated Saint Vincent, 68-63.
 
Thanks to Taylor Cortazzo's eight first-quarter points, the Presidents were able to jump out to a 17-11 lead after the opening 10 minutes. The Bearcats fought to comeback, but W&J was able to hold onto its lead going into halftime, maintaining a five-point margin at the break, 32-27.
 
The second half was similar, with the Presidents managing to stay a step ahead of Saint Vincent for the duration of the game. With 43 seconds left to go, Saint Vincent's Hannah Carroll sank a three-pointer that brought the Bearcats within three points of W&J, 66-63, but a pair of free throws by Amirah Moore solidified the hard fought victory for the Presidents.
 
Cortazzo finished the game with 17 points, tying for the game high with Carroll.
 
Rachel Bellhy exploded in the second half to finish with a career-high 16 points, making this the fourth game in a row she scored in double digits, while also collecting a career-high four blocks in the contest.

Beka Bellhy was close behind with 14 points of her own, moving her into the 7th place on W&J's women's basketball all-time scoring list at 1,275 points. The Bellhy sisters also collected eight rebounds each, tying each other for the team-high.

Moore contributed to the victory with 11 points, along with a team-high four assists.
 
W&J moves to 11-3 on the season and 6-1 in PAC play. The Presidents will play again at home on Saturday, January 16th in another PAC matchup against Bethany. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 pm.