LATROBE, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team forced a season-high 28 turnovers in a 54-52 overtime victory over Saint Vincent in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup Saturday afternoon.

The win was the fourth straight for W&J, who moves to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the PAC. The loss drops Saint Vincent to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in league games. The matchup was the 40th all-time between the two conference rivals, as W&J holds a slight 22-18 advantage in a hard-fought head-to-head series.

Saint Vincent staked claim to an early 3-2 lead on a jumper by Ella Marconi at the 7:59 mark. W&J countered with a basket from freshman Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and a pair of free throws by senior Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) to regain the lead at 6-3 with 6:42 to play in the first.

Consecutive baskets by Morningstar and sophomore Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) put W&J in front 12-10 after the first quarter.

Taylor Geer capped a 7-0 run for Saint Vincent that put the hosts in front by a 17-16 score with 6:41 to play in the second quarter. Senior Aleena McDaniel (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) put the Presidents back in front, at 19-17, when she banked in a three at the 6:17 mark.

W&J was able to get its offense going late in the first half, as an extended 10-2 run gave the Red and Black a 29-21 advantage at halftime. A three-pointer by senior Kamryn Lach (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and a jumper by junior Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) stretched the Presidents lead to eight at the break.
The Presidents used a layup by Morningstar to extend the W&J lead into double digits (31-21) just 18 seconds into the third quarter.

However, Saint Vincent found its rhythm offensively and took advantage of a scoring drought by W&J, to rip off nine straight points and make it a one-point game on a layup by Lizzie Bender at the 5:25 mark of the third.

Morningstar ended the five-minute scoring drought with a driving layup and free throw to give W&J a 34-30 edge with 4:15 to play in the quarter. McDaniel pulled in an offensive rebound and put it back to give W&J a 36-30 at the 3:33 mark of the third. Saint Vincent snapped a five-plus minute scoreless streak with a pair of free throws by Emily Cavacini that cut the W&J lead to 36-32 after three quarters.

Saint Vincent pulled even at 40-40 with a three-point play by Taylor Geer with 4:42 to play in the fourth. The two teams exchanged scores down the stretch. A three-point play by Marconi gave SVC a 47-44 lead with 44 seconds to play. Freshman Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) countered with a driving layup and free throw to even the score at 47-47. A defensive stand, which included a block by Koeck, allowed W&J to force overtime.

After two-plus minutes of scoreless basketball to open overtime, Morningstar drained a jumper to give the Presidents a 49-47 edge at the 2:50 mark. McDaniel followed with a pair of free throws at the 1:16 mark of overtime to give W&J a four-point advantage.

A three-point play by Marconi brought the Bearcats within a point at 53-52 with 38 seconds to play in the extra session. A split by Cherry at the free throw line made it a two-point lead for W&J with just 20 ticks left. The Bearcats had three shots from inside 10 feet in the closing seconds but could not convert to force a second overtime.  

W&J earned the victory despite shooting 29.4 percent (20-68) from the field in the game. The Presidents scored five of its seven overtime points from the free throw line.

Morningstar finished with a game-high 17 points. McDaniel finished with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Lach added nine points and a career-high six steals.

Marconi led Saint Vincent with 14 points and 12 rebounds to register a double-double.

W&J travels to Penn State Behrend for a non-conference game on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Junker Center in Erie.