WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team (20-6) used an efficient offensive effort to secure a commanding 80-55 victory over visiting Geneva College (10-16) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup Tuesday evening at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.

Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) led all scorers with 21 points, going 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) from the field, and a near perfect 9 of 10 (90.0 percent) from the free throw line. She also pulled in a game-high 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, and tallied three steals.

Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) finished with a strong 20-point effort, going 6 of 10 (60.0 percent) on field goals, 4 of 8 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc, and 4 of 6 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe. Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) was the only other President to reach double-figures, posting an 18-point performance and adding four rebounds and two assists.

W&J wasted no time asserting control in the opening quarter, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Grado scored the lone basket in the first two minutes, while Kovalchick and DeRubbo adding field goals to extend the Presidents' advantage. Over the next five minutes, DeRubbo caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down three triples and accounting for 13 of W&J's first 20 points overall. By the end of the first quarter, W&J held a 24-15 lead over Geneva.

Following a three-point field goal by Geneva to open the second quarter, W&J ripped off eight-straight points, stretching the lead to 32-20 on a layup by Loutsion at the 6:48 mark.

Geneva trimmed the deficit to six with a three-pointer at the 4:16 mark, but Loutsion and Grado each knocked down shots to close the half, sending W&J into the break with a 47-36 advantage.

The Presidents left no doubt in the second half. W&J opened the third quarter with an extended 16-5 run. Consecutive field goals by Loutsion pushed the lead to 63-41 with 4:11 left in the frame.

W&J dominated the third quarter overall, outscoring Geneva 20-10 to build a comfortable cushion heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Presidents maintained that advantage throughout the fourth quarter to close out the contest. Kovalchick led the way late, scoring five of W&J's 13 points in the period, highlighted by a corner three-pointer that punctuated the quarterfinals victory.

The Red and Black, as a team, shot 48.1 percent from the field and made 5 of their 15 attempts from three-point range. In contrast, Geneva made just 28.8 percent of its shots from the field and 16 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. The Presidents held the PAC's highest scoring offense to 55 points, which is 17 points below their season average for the Golden Tornadoes.

The victory propels W&J into the semifinal round of the single-elimination conference tournament, where the Red and Black will welcome the PAC South Division's number four seed, the Chatham Cougars, to Washington, Pa. The Cougars used a strong fourth quarter to beat out Grove City by a 57-50. Tip off at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium is scheduled for 6:00 P.M.