WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team opened the 2020-21 season with a 78-58 victory over Bethany College Friday evening at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
 
Senior Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) was honored before the game for scoring her 1,000^th career point in the 2019-20 PAC Tournament at Saint Vincent. In the game, she led all players with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while adding four assists and four steals. Seto moved into 16th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,060 career points. 
 
Senior Hannah Johnston (East Freedom, Pa./Central) and freshman Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) both joined Seto in double figures. Johnston knocked down a pair of treys and finished with 13 points. Berardelli scored 11 points in her Red and Black debut.
 
The 78-point effort also featured nine points and seven rebounds from Maria Lawhorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum), eight points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals from Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and seven points and three steals form Lauren Gilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin).
 
The Presidents led for all but 87 seconds of the contest as its offense scored at least 17 points in all four quarters and broke 20 points in the first and fourth quarters.
 
After the first two minutes saw the Presidents and Bison hand the lead back and forth twice, W&J took the lead for good on a three-point play by Morningstar. The basket and converted free throw jump-started a 13-4 stretch for the Presidents over the next five-and-a-half minutes.
 
Johnston and Kamryn Lach (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) each connected on a three pointer during the run as Bethany committed five turnovers that allowed the Presidents pushed their lead to double digits (19-9) with 2:44 left in the first quarter. Bethany scored four of the next five points to trim its deficit to seven, but Gilbert closed the first quarter scoring with a three in the final minute to put the Presidents ahead 23-13.
 
Through the first four minutes of the second quarter, Bethany reduced the Presidents' lead to seven (25-18) but were not able to make it a two-possession game at any point in the quarter.
 
After scoring seven points in the first six minutes in the quarter, Berardelli scored on back-to-back possessions to put W&J ahead 34-24 with 3:07 left in the first half.
 
Seto scored W&J's next seven points on three consecutive possessions late in the second quarter to extend W&J's lead to 41-26 at the half.
 
Bethany scored the first five points of the second half, but W&J responded with back-to-back threes by Johnston and Seto. A Gilbert layup with 4:36 left in the third stretched W&J's lead to 19 points.
 
Through the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, the Presidents outscored Bethany 14-3. Seto knocked down two more threes during the spurt as W&J's lead swelled to 26 (72-46) with 3:59 left in regulation. Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) added four points in the final minutes for W&J.
 
The Presidents attempted 18 more shots than Bethany, connected on nine threes and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds on the evening. W&J had 12 steals and converted 19 Bethany turnovers into 23 points.
 
Courtney Walker and Kelsie Meintel led Bethany with 16 points and 14 points, respectively. 
 
The Presidents return to action Wednesday evening at Geneva. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.