WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team (16-5, 11-1 PAC) cruised to a decisive 82-53 victory against Westminster College (7-14, 4-8) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The Presidents have now won five straight contests, marking the longest winning streak for the Red & Black this season. The victory keeps W&J in first place in the South Division of the PAC, with a league leading 11 wins.
Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) led all scorers with 17 points, marking the 11th time this season she has scored 17 or more points in a game.
Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) and
Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) each added 13 points, with Kovalchick pulling down a team-high five rebounds and Loutsion dishing out a game-high four assists.
Shannon Conley (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) tied her career high with eight points, shooting 3-of-7 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range.
W&J jumped out to a 22–7 lead over Westminster through the first 10 minutes of play. Loutsion accounted for eight points in the opening quarter and helped the Presidents close the frame on a 6–0 run by converting a step-back jumper with just under a minute remaining.
To open the second quarter the Red & Black extended their offensive momentum by scoring seven more in a row. A triple by Loutsion opened the scoring in the quarter and marked the 100th three-point bucket of her career. Through 20 minutes of play, W&J outpaced the Titans 48-21, and was in control of the turnover margin, 16-1.
W&J continued its dominance into the third quarter, stretching its lead to 55-25 at the 7:44 mark with a DeRubbo jumper. With a Conley triple and another DeRubbo make from the field, W&J was able to extend its lead to 69-36, its largest of the game, to close the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter,
Alayna Wagner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) and
Emily Mountain (Youngstown, N.Y./Lewport) contributed four points each, allowing the Presidents to maintain a comfortable lead. Wagner finished the game with a season-high six points, and the four points by Mountain tied her career-high.
From the field, W&J converted 27 of its 69 shots (39.1 percent) and from three-point range the Presidents made 8 of 24 attempts (33.3 percent). At the charity stripe W&J converted at a season best 95.2 percent rate (20 of 21). Westminster outrebounded the Presidents, 43–36, but W&J held a significant advantage in turnovers, winning that battle 26–4.
W&J travels to Latrobe on Wednesday to take on the Bearcats of Saint Vincent College in a battle for the top spot in the PAC South Division. Tipoff is scheduled 5:30 PM at the Robert S. Carey Center.
