NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Fueled by 27 points off 21 Westminster turnovers, the Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team won its ninth straight game over the Titans with a 72-60 victory at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.

The victory moves the Presidents to 13-7 this season and maintains a one-game lead for second place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference over Saint Vincent with a 10-3 mark. It represents the fifth consecutive season with double digit league wins for W&J, which has already clinched a spot in the league tournament later this month. The Titans drop to 8-12 on the season and 3-10 in league action.

After holding a two-point lead (35-33) at halftime, W&J used an 11-4 run to open up a nine-point lead, 46-37, 4:14 into the second half. Taylor Cortazzo (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) and Danielle Parker (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) both scored four points during the stretch. Westminster, however, kept the margin to single digits until W&J scored nine-straight points in the middle of the fourth quarter to open the lead to a game-high 14 points, 63-49. Rachel Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) posted five markers during the 3:47 run and Cortazzo and Danni Medovich (Frederick, Md./Walkersville) both added a pair of points.

Cortazzo led all players with 21 points, her eighth career 20-point game and second this season. She ended up going 8-of-10 at the free-throw line, raising her career highs in both categories which previously came in a 7-for-7 showing against Waynesburg on Jan. 18. Medovich joined her classmate in double figures at 13 points, the seventh time she's gotten to double digits this year. Parker added nine points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Bellhy turned in eight points, 12 boards, six assists and four steals, the last three of which were game highs.

Despite a 51-35 deficit in rebounding, W&J matched Westminster's eight second-chance points.

W&J will host Chatham at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 when it joins in with fellow PAC schools in raising money for the Beaver County Cancer & Heart Association in honor of Geneva women's basketball coach Lori Wynn who is battling Ovarian cancer. For more information on the #wynnthebattle festivities, please click here.