LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 21) - Senior forward Danielle Parker (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) recorded 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to held guide the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team to a gutsy 59-58 road victory over host Saint Vincent College in a matchup of the Presidents' Athletic Conference's top two teams. 

The win was the 10th straight for W&J, who improved to 8-1 in the PAC play and 12-5 overall. The loss snapped Saint Vincent's 12-game winning streak and dropped the Bearcats to 14-3 overall and 8-1 in conference games. The win helped W&J earn a split of the season series and pull the two teams into a tie in the PAC standings. 

Three free throws by sophomore forward Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) over the final 1:45 and a pair of defensive stops in the waning moments of the game helped the Presidents preserve the hard fought victory. 

After Saint Vincent opened with four consecutive points, W&J quickly countered back to tie the game at 6-6 when Parker converted a layup and sophomore guard Lauren Gilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) added a pair of free throws. The host Bearcats would outscore the Presidents by a 7-3 margin over the final 5:22 of the quarter to take a 13-9 edge after 10 minutes of play. 

An early 8-0 run helped SVC swell its advantage over W&J to 21-9 with 8:20 mark of the second quarter. However, the Presidents would find their offensive footing and chip away at the Bearcats lead. Back-to-back baskets by Parker and sophomore forward Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) closed the deficit to 10 points (23-13). A little later a three-point play by freshman Kylie McKennen (Triadelphia, W.Va./Wheeling Park) made the score 25-18 with 4:08 to play in the half. 

Four straight points by sophomore Maria Lawhorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) closed the deficit to 28-22 at the 1:40 mark. The Presidents kept coming, tying the game at 28-28, after back-to-back three pointers by freshman Carlee Stelter (Wampum, Pa./Mohawk) and Parker to finish the half. Parker led all players with nine points and six rebounds at the break.

Seto gave W&J its first lead of the game with a three-point play the old fashioned way in the early stages of the third quarter. The play by Seto gave the Presidents a 32-30 advantage at the 8:28 mark. A little later, Seto would add another layup to push the W&J edge to 36-32 with 6:30 left in the third.

After SVC responded with four straight points to tie the game, Parker drained a triple to make the score 39-36 in favor of the road team. On the ensuing W&J possession, Parker tacked on another successful three to push the lead back to four (42-38). The W&J lead remained at four points (45-41) as the teams entered the fourth quarter. 

Five straight points to open the fourth by Saint Vincent guard Taylor Boring pushed the Bearcats back in front at 46-45. The two teams exchanged the lead five more times throughout the fourth quarter. With the Presidents trailing by a 55-51 score with just 4:06 to play, W&J rattled off the next five points behind a paior of free throws by McKennen and a trey from Parker, helping the Presidents regain the lead at 56-55 at the 2:10 mark. A late three by Saint Vincent tied the score at 58-58 with 1:22 to play before Seto helped W&J escape with the win.

The double-double was the seventh of the season for Parker and 21st of her collegiate career. Her 21 points tonight gave her 1,191 for her career, helping her into ninth place on the all-time scoring list, helping her pass Kennan Kileen (1,189) and Valerie Dunlap (1,190). 

McKennen continued her strong play, tallying nine points, a career-high eight assists and adding five rebounds. Seto finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. 

As a team, W&J converted 42.6 percent from the field, including 50 percent in the second half. The Presidents limited the Bearcats to just 6-of-26 from behind the three-point line, converting at a 23.1 percent clip. 
 
W&J returns home to take on Geneva College on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Start time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Henry Memorial Center. 
 
At halftime during Wednesday night's games, the W&J department of athletics will honor the team champions from the fall semester. At halftime of the women's game, the field hockey and men's cross country teams will be recognized. During halftime of the men's game, the PAC Champion football team will be recognized. Come celebrate with the champions.