MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Sophomore guard Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) dropped a career-high 28 points to power the Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team to a 66-43 road victory Wednesday evening at the Wise Center in Crawford County. 

The win moves W&J to 14-1 in PAC play and 18-2 overall. The loss drops the Gators to 10-6 in league games and 11-10 overall. The win coupled with Saint Vincent's loss to Chatham gives W&J some breathing room atop the PAC standings. 

Bezjak turned in the best shooting performance of her college career. She converted 10-of-12 field goal attempts, which included five-of-six attempts from beyond the arc. Bezjak was also a perfect three-for-three at the free throw line. 

Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) joined Bezjak in double figures with 12 points. Berardelli added seven rebounds in the victory. Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) added team highs in rebounds (11) and assists (4). Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) continued to be a defensive stalwart with three blocks while limiting Emily Lauer, the PAC's leading scorer, to nine points on 4-of-11 shooting. 

W&J led 18-14 after the first quarter and built a 36-25 lead at halftime. The Presidents then outscored the Gators 30-18 over the final 20 minutes of play to coast to a 23-point victory. 

The Presidents opened up a 9-5 lead at the 5:26 mark of the first when Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) sank a three-point field goal. The Gators evened the score at 12-12 and 14-14 before W&J tallied the final four points of the opening frame. The Presidents opened the second quarter with six-straight points to build a 24-14 advantage at the 8:22 mark. Bezjak capped the spurt with back-to-back buckets. 

Allegheny cut the deficit to four points midway through the second quarter. However, Bezjak countered with triples on three straight W&J possessions to extend the lead back into double digits at 36-23 late in the half. A fast start in the third quarter helped W&J put things out of reach. A jumper by Berardelli at the 4:16 mark made it 46-31 W&J. Another triple by Bezjak swelled the Red and Black advantage to 49-33 with 1:06 left in the third. 

Kiyanna Dowling (York, Pa./York Suburban) sank a jumper as W&J moved its lead to 60-37 with 3:45 to play in the fourth. W&J scored its final six points at the free throw line as they cruised to their 18th win of the season. 

After struggling at times in recent games, W&J made 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) at the free throw line in Wednesday's win. W&J held a 45-33 lead in rebounding. 

Allegheny did not put a single player in double figures in the contest. The Gators made just 1-of-14 three-point attempts. Both teams committed 12 turnovers.

W&J hosts Franciscan University of Steubenville on Saturday, Feb. 4. The game will serve as both Alumni Day and the Think Pink game. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m.