WASHINGTON, Pa. --
Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) poured in 21 second-half points and the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team erased a five-point halftime deficit as the Presidents rallied to a 76-59 win over Waynesburg on Wednesday evening at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
The win advances the Presidents to 15-7 overall and 10-4 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action. Waynesburg falls to 5-17 and 4-9 in PAC play.
Waynesburg led 33-28 at halftime, but Seto and company went to work in the third quarter. W&J scored the first six points of the period, four coming from Seto, as the Presidents took a 34-33 advantage. After the teams traded baskets,
Maria Lawhorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) put the Presidents ahead for good at 38-37 with 5:02 left in the third.
Seto connected on a three to kickstart a 14-5 W&J spurt that included six points from Seto and five from
Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny). Seto's three-point play in the final seconds of the quarter made it 15 points in the frame for the President junior.
After
Maddie Gutierrez (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) made a three to put the Presidents ahead 58-46, W&J led by double figures the rest of the way. Gutierrez, Seto and Morningstar each poured in six points in the final 10 minutes as the Presidents cruised to the win.
The largest W&J lead of the first half came in the first minute of the contest as
Lauren Gilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) knocked down a three to lead 3-0.
Waynesburg embarked on a 15-4 over the next five minutes of game time to open up a 15-7 advantage with 3:29 to play in the first quarter.
A three from Morningstar and a Lawhorne lay-in narrowed the margin to three with just over two minutes remaining. The Yellow Jackets carried a 17-14 advantage into the second quarter.
Hannah Johnston (East Freedom, Pa./Central) scored the Presidents' first eight points of the second quarter, including jumpers to put W&J ahead 20-19 and 22-21. However, Johnston picked up her second foul with just under four minutes to play in the quarter.
Taking advantage of Johnston on the bench, Waynesburg concluded the first half with an 10-3 spurt to extend its advantage to 33-28 at the halftime break.
Seto finished with 21 points, all in the second half, along with six rebounds and three steals.
Morningstar poured in a career-high 14 points on four-of-six shooting and was a perfect five-of-five from the foul line.
Gilbert, Johnston and Lawhorne each had 11 points. Gilbert notched a career-best eight assists while Lawhorne had nine rebounds and a career-high four blocks.
The Presidents finished plus-eight (42-34) in the rebounding margin and held a major advantage from the free throw line, going 23-of-25 from the charity stripe while Waynesburg was 10-of-12.
The Red and Black extends its win streak to five-straight games. W&J plays its final non-conference game Saturday at Kenyon at 1:00 p.m.
