WASHINGTON, Pa. – Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch proved to be the difference as the Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team held off Mount Union, 77-74, in the Championship Game of the SpringHill Suites Tip-off Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 18.
 
The Presidents improve to 2-0 to begin the season and handed the Purple Raiders their first loss of the 2017-18 campaign (2-1).
 
W&J started off hot, scoring the first 10 points of the game to gain an early advantage including four points in the first minute of the contest from Amirah Moore (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon). From the 7:01 point forward in the first quarter, both squads exchanged 20 points each, leaving the Presidents with a 10-point lead after one frame.
 
The Purple Raiders responded by scoring 11 of the first 14 points in the second quarter to cut their deficit to two points. After the Presidents pushed their lead back up to six over the next three possessions, Mount Union outpaced W&J, 10-4, over the final 3:40 of the half to tie the game, 43-43.
 
Strong defensive play from W&J held the Purple Raiders to just 10 points in the third quarter as the Presidents regained a four-point lead heading into the final frame.
 
Mount Union came back to within two points with 5:44 remaining in the game before W&J ran off 10 out of 14 points to build its lead back to eight points with just 1:44 to play. Leading, 73-70, after a Mount Union layup, Mia Woytovich (Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi) nailed two free throws followed by two more free throws from Lauren Gilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) to seal the win with nine seconds left on the clock.
 
Moore finished with 23 points, 11 of those points coming from the charity stripe on 13 attempts, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Her strong effort on Saturday propelled her to Tournament MVP honors.
 
Danielle Parker (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) totaled 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and pulled in four rebounds and blocked two shots on defense. Gilbert recorded her second straight double-digit scoring effort with 12 points and hit 4-of-5 free throws in the game to also land on the All-Tournament Team. Gilbert tied Moore and Mya Gordon (Washington, Pa./Washington) for the game-high in steals (3) and also tallied four dimes.
 
The Presidents made 23 free throws, the most in a single game since combining for 23 at Grove City last season on Jan. 3, while the 40 attempts taken by the team were the most since going to the line 40 times in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South playoffs against Penn State Behrend on March 2, 2016.
 
W&J outscored Mount Union 34-30 in the paint and 6-2 in fast break points while forcing the Purple Raiders into 18 turnovers.
 
The Presidents will return to the hardwood on Tuesday, Nov. 21, for their first Presidents' Athletic Conference tilt of the season, traveling to Geneva for a 5:30 p.m. tip.