WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team capped 2024 with a win against the visiting Penn State Behrend Lions, 70-62.
 
W&J moves to 10-2 overall on the season after the victory while Penn State Behrend falls to 6-5 on the year.
 
The Presidents were led in scoring by junior guard Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan), with a new career-high 28-point performance. Loutsion shot 7-for-14 from the field and 12-13 from the charity stripe while picking up five rebounds and two assists. Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) dropped 14 points in the outing, hauling in five boards and denying two shots. Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) and Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) also joined in double figures with 12 points each.
 
Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) led the team in rebounding with nine rebounds, currently resting 23 away from reaching the 1,000-career rebound mark.
 
W&J catapulted themselves put to a 17-2 lead at the halfway mark of the opening quarter of play, sparked by a Bezjak triple. The Lions quickly responded with a 17-4 run of their own to close the first quarter of play, W&J up 21-19.
 
Kovalchick opened the next quarter by scoring six of the Presidents' seven points before the Lions gained their first lead of the bout, 29-28. A succession of free throws made by Loutsion and Cherry claimed the lead back for the Red & Black as they took a 35-32 lead heading into the half.
 
Out of the break, Loutsion drained a three-point attempt in the early portion of the renewed half before the score settled at 38-38 for four minutes of game time. Kovalchick broke the scoring drought for both sides with a bucket in the paint. Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) scored her first career points as a President in her first career minutes. Bezjak helped groom the lead to nine with seconds remaining in the third, draining two heavily contested layups. Two made free throws from the Lions brought the lead to 50-43 at the close of the quarter.
 
Heading into the final quarter of play, the Lions scored six unanswered points to knot the score at 50 with 7:48 remaining. The back-and-forth bout continued until the Presidents broke away with a run of their own, scoring nine unanswered points. The scoring spirt, ignited by a Loutsion and-one play, granted W&J a 64-57 lead with 2:49 remaining. Sinking clutch free throws down the stretch, the Presidents held on to the lead to take a 70-62 victory.
 
The name of the game for the Presidents was their trips to the charity stripe, making 21-of-26 shots from the free-throw line. W&J also held advantages in paint points (34-30) and points off of turnovers (14-12) despite losing the rebound battle (39-32).

W&J will open 2025 with a road bout against the Allegheny Gators on Saturday (Jan. 4). Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.