LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team battled throughout the game but dropped a 69-52 decision to No. 2/No. 3 ranked Transylvania University Friday evening in an NCAA Tournament First Round game at the Beck Center in Lexington. 
 
The Presidents finish the season at 23-5 overall. The Presidents entered the game with an 11-game winning streak and just one loss since the start of the New Year.  
 
Transylvania, ranked No. 2 by the WBCA and No. 3 by d3hoops.com, stays perfect as they move to 25-0 overall. 
 
W&J trailed 21-11 after the first quarter and 42-27 at halftime. The Presidents trimmed the deficit to as few as 11 minutes in the second half. A layup by sophomore center Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) helped the Presidents trim the Transy lead to 46-35 with 4:45 to play in the third quarter. However, the Pioneers closed the quarter with six straight points and the Presidents could get no closer.  
 
Both teams recorded 17 points in the fourth quarter. That total was W&J's highest scoring quarter in the game.   
 
Junior forward Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) led W&J with a career-high 13 points. Koeck, just named PAC Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday, converted 6-of-9 field goal attempts. She added three rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes. 
 
Senior guard Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) tallied 11 points. Seniors Aleena McDaniel (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) and Kamryn Lach (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) finished with nine points and eight points, respectively. 

Freshman guard/forward Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds despite limited minutes battling foul trouble. 
 
Madison Kellione led the Pioneers with a game-high 20 points. Dasia Thornton and Laken Ball both posted double-double efforts for the home team. Transy owned an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers and a 34-18 disparity in points in the paint. 
 
W&J, led by 18th year head coach Jina DeRubbo, claimed its first PAC Tournament Championship since 2005-06. The appearance in an NCAA Tournament was W&J's first since 2009-10. 
 
The Presidents were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009-10. The 23 wins are tied for the second most in program history. Only the 2015-16 and 2008-09 squads finished with more wins (24). 
 
W&J loses Lach, McDaniel, Morningstar, Tori Boalton (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) and Taylor Brenner (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland). The class put together a 69-25 record over the past four seasons. 

"I am really proud of this team," DeRubbo said. "They completely bought into our system and played with each other and for each other all season. Winning the PAC championship with this team is something we will all be proud of for years to come."