WASHINGTON, Pa. (Jan. 29) – The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the season Wednesday evening in a 65-44 victory over visiting Grove City in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
The win improves the Presidents to 16-3 overall and 13-1 in conference play. W&J remains perfect at Salvitti Family Gymnasium, as they improve to 10-0 on their home court this season.
The Presidents held the Wolverines to a season-low 25.8 shooting percentage from the field. The 44 points scored are the second lowest total this season for the Wolverines. W&J limited Grove City to single digit point totals in both the first and fourth quarters.
W&J also owned a commanding advantage in rebounding. The Presidents out-rebounded the Wolverines by a 56-36 margin. W&J was powered by a 23-rebound performance by senior guard
Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin). The total is believed the fourth most ever in a game by a W&J women's basketball player.
The Red and Black used a strong opening quarter to build a double-digit lead. The Presidents opened the game on an 8-0 run over the first four-plus minutes of the contest. Layups by junior guard
Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and senior guard
Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) accounted for the first four points of the early game surge.
After four additional points by the Presidents, Grove City broke up the run with a Reese Hasley field goal at the 5:04 mark. A three-point field goal by senior guard
Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) pushed the lead to 13-4 with 2:32 to play in the opening quarter. Following a Grove City jumper with 51 seconds left in the first, Loutsion tallied five-straight points over the final 39 seconds. Loutsion buried a three-pointer and added a pair of made free throws to extend the W&J advantage to 18-8 after 10 minutes of play.
The two teams played to an even second quarter. Each team used some solid offensive work to notch 19 points apiece during the frame. Sparked by a pair of made three-point field goals by freshman guard
Jordyn Wolfe (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour), the W&J lead grew to 24-9 at the 7:25 mark. The Presidents maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the quarter. After a brief Grove City run, graduate student
Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) knocked down a three-pointer and Bezjak tacked on a fastbreak layup to make it 33-19 with 2:12 to play before halftime. Loutsion accounted for the final four W&J points of the half as the home team carried a 37-27 lead into the break.
W&J opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run to further extend the lead. Sophomore center
Katie Kovalchick (Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area) converted an old-fashioned three-point play before adding a layup on the Presidents' next possession. The five-straight points by Kovalchick extended the advantage to 46-29 with 5:48 to play in the third. Grove City countered with a 9-2 run of its own over the next three-plus minutes to cut the deficit back to 10 points. A layup by Dryburgh closed out the third quarter scoring with W&J holding a 50-38 lead.
The Presidents led by double digits for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Cherry drilled a three-point field goal at the 5:35 mark to stretch the lead to 59-44. Layups by DeRubbo and Loutsion closed out the 21-point win.
W&J sported a balanced offensive effort with three players finishing in double figures. Loutsion finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Kovalchick notched 13 points and six rebounds. Bezjak chipped in 12 points to round out the trio of double-digit scorers.
W&J hosts Bethany College for Alumni Day and its annual Think Pink Game for the Glock Foundation on Saturday (Feb. 1). Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
