WASHINGTON – The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team saw its 11-game winning streak snapped in a 72-70 loss to visiting Chatham University in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.

The Presidents lost despite outrebounding the Cougars by a 50-27 margin. W&J also outscored Chatham 32-0 in points in the paint. Chatham picked up the victory in large part to the volume of three-point attempts, as the Cougars converted 17 of a whopping 44 attempts from behind the line.

Sophomore forward Maria Lawhorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) led the Presidents with 20 points and six rebounds in the loss. Sophomore forward Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) recorded a double-double performance with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior forward Danielle Parker (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) filled the stat sheet with nine points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

The Cougars opened up an early 9-4 advantage after a pair of made three-point baskets. W&J would counter with 10 straight points, eight of which came from Seto, to take a 14-9 edge with 4:30 to play in the quarter. A little later in the quarter, the Presidents would extend the lead to seven points (20-13) at the 1:08 mark.

The Presidents would maintain their lead until a three-pointer by Chatham would tie the game at 25-25 with 7:18 left in the second quarter. Parker helped cap a 7-0 run for W&J, draining a three-pointer to make it 32-25 with 4:58 to play in the half.

A late surge by the Cougars would push the visitors in front at halftime, as back-to-back baskets in the final minute would make it 41-38 at the break.

As they have done most of the season, the Presidents put together a strong third quarter to regain the lead. A three-point play by freshman guard Aleena McDaniel (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) gave W&J a six-point edge (53-47) with 3:29 to play in the third. Another three by Chatham would help close the deficit to 56-53 after three.

The Presidents continued to hold the lead for the majority of the fourth quarter, until a three pointer by the Cougars tied the game at 62-62 with 2:07 to play.

Clutch baskets on back-to-back possessions by Lawhorne would give the Presidents a 66-64 advantage with 57 seconds left. After a split at the line by the Cougars, Seto drained a pair of free throws to push the W&J lead back to three (68-65) with 23 seconds left.

However, a pair of fouls by W&J coupled with two missed free throws allowed Chatham to sink four free throws and gain a 69-68 edge. After an exchange of free throws put the score at 72-70, the Presidents would have one more chance but a last second three-point attempt rolled off the rim.

The loss was the first for W&J since last November. W&J falls to 9-2 in PAC play and 13-6 overall, while Chatham improves to 6-5 in league play and 10-10 overall.

W&J travels to Westminster College on Wednesday, Jan. 30. The contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.