MARIETTA, Ohio -- Two last second free throws propelled Marietta to a narrow 59-57 win over the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team in non-conference action at Ban Johnson Arena. 

Maria Lawhorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) registered her second career double-double, as the junior forward finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Junior guard Lauren Gilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) finished with 11 points while junior forward Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) filled the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-best five steals. 

The game was back and forth throughout, as the matchup between the Presidents and Pioneers featured 13 ties and 14 lead changes. A three-pointer with 2:40 left gave Marietta a 55-50 edge over W&J. Neither team would score over the next minute and a half before junior Hannah Johnston (East Freedom, Pa./Central) drained a pair of free throws with 1:05 left.

After the ensuing possession, Johnston corralled the defensive rebound after a block by sophomore Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny). Johnston again drew a foul a few seconds later to head back to the free throw line. The junior again converted both free throws to cut the Marietta lead to 55-54 with 34 seconds left. 

Forced to play the fouling game, W&J sent Marietta to the free throw line, where it initially missed both free throws. However, an offensive rebound gave Marietta another chance at the charity stripe. The made free throws extended the Pioneers advantage to 57-54 with 26 seconds left.  

W&J took advantage of its own offensive rebound and earned three free throws when Gilbert was fouled behind the arc with seven seconds left. Gilbert drained all three free throws to tie the score at 57-57. A foul in the waning seconds allowed Marietta's Devin Hefner to knock down the game-deciding free throws at the line. W&J had one more chance but could not get a shot off before the final buzzer. 

The Presidents entered the fourth quarter with a 39-37 lead. However, the Pioneers tallied 10 of the first 12 points in the fourth to build a 47-41 lead at the 7:17 mark of the fourth. That run forced W&J to play from behind for the majority of the game. The lone lead (50-49) of the fourth came when Gilbert connected on a trey with 3:45 left in regulation. That lead lasted all of 22 seconds before the Pioneers answered back with a go-ahead layup. 

Neither team led by more than four points than entire first half. W&J held a slight 12-10 edge at the end of the first quarter. Late in the second quarter, Morningstar and freshman forward Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) drained back-to-back triples to give W&J a two-point lead just before halftime. Marietta was able to answer with a layup just before halftime to even the score (25-25) at the break. 

W&J held advantages in points off turnovers (18-13) and bench points (17-7). Marietta outscored W&J by a 16-8 margin in second chance points. Both teams had 22 points in the paint. The Presidents committed a season-high 18 turnovers and missed eight free throws in the loss. 

Hefner, the hero at the line for Marietta, finished with a game-high 22 points. 

The loss drops W&J to 3-1 overall for the season. The Presidents will face a tough non-conference challenge when they host Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, Nov. 23 at Salvitti Memorial Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets (3-0) advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament a season ago. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.