HIRAM, Ohio – The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team (11-4, 6-0 PAC) shot nearly 60 percent from the field as they cruised past Hiram (5-10, 2-4 PAC) by a 79-62 score in a Presidents' Athletic Conference road game Saturday afternoon in Ohio.

Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) led the Presidents with a game-high 19 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field. DeRubbo added a game-best eight rebounds. Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) registered 15 points and matched the team high for assists with five. Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Michelle Jellison (Monongahela, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) finished off her strong week, tallying 10 points and five assists off the bench. Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) made all four of her field goal attempts to finish with nine points.

For the second-straight game, the Presidents swarmed an opponent from the opening tip. W&J opened the contest with 20 consecutive points. Grado opened the scoring with a made three-point field goal on the Presidents' initial possession. Following a defensive stop, Loutsion grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to make it 5-0 Presidents. A few minutes later, the Presidents pushed their lead to 14-0 with scores on three-straight possessions. Kovalchick drained a triple to open that sequence of scoring. A jumper by Loutsion made it 20-0 at the 3:39 mark. After nearly seven scoreless minutes, Hiram scored on a layup to break up W&J's game opening run. DeRubbo tallied six of the next eight points as the Presidents led 28-7 after the first quarter.

W&J continued to build upon its lead in the second quarter. DeRubbo knocked down three-point field goals on consecutive possessions, which allowed the Presidents to extend their advantage to 39-13 at the 3:44 mark. The Presidents eventually carried a 45-20 lead into halftime following late field goals from DeRubbo and Kovalchick.

The Presidents continued to hold a comfortable lead throughout the second half. The Red and Black led by as many as 27 points during the final 20 minutes. Loutsion opened the third quarter scoring with a layup that made it 47-20 in favor of the Presidents. DeRubbo and Jellison both drained three-pointers down the stretch of the third quarter.

Olivia Kemp (Canonsburg, Pa./Fort Cherry), Brooke Paylo (South Park, Pa./South Park), Shannon Conley (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) and Emily Mountain (Youngstown, N.Y./Lewport) all found the scoring column during the fourth quarter as the Presidents cruised to victory.

To go along with their strong shooting effort, the Presidents also had their way with the Terriers on the boards. The Red and Black had a 42-27 advantage in rebounding. W&J finished with 24 assists on 31 made baskets during the game.

The Presidents will carry a four-game winning streak into its league showdown versus Saint Vincent on Wednesday (January 21). Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside Salvitti Family Gymnasium.