WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team tallied 50 second half points to roll to an 89-59 victory over Penn State Altoona in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
The win improves W&J to 20-8 for the season. This marks the 12th time in 15 seasons that head coach Jina DeRubbo has reached the 20-win plateau with the Presidents. The victory also gives Coach DeRubbo 299 wins during her time with the Red and Black.
Five players finished in double figures in one of the best offensive showings of the season for W&J. Sophomore forward Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) led all scorers with 21 points while adding five rebounds and three steals.
Senior forward Danielle Parker (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) tallied her eighth double-double of the season and 22nd of her career, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
Sophomore forward Maria Lawhorne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) just missed a double-double of her own, registering with 13 points and nine rebounds off of the bench.
Sophomore guard Hannah Johnston (East Freedom, Pa./Central) finished with 12 points, while freshman guard Tori Boalton (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) poured in a season-high 11 markers.
Freshman forward Izzy Allen (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) just missed double figures, registering nine points off the bench. Freshman guard Kylie McKennen (Triadelphia, W.Va./Wheeling Park) led all players with eight assists to help aid the offensive efforts.
The Presidents converted 51.5 percent of their attempts from the field, including draining a season-high 12 three-pointers. W&J also outrebounded Penn State Altoona by a 43-27 margin and forced 20 turnovers in the victory. The Presidents held a four-point lead after both the first quarter (27-23) and second quarter (39-35) before rolling to victory in the second half.
The win advances W&J into the ECAC Quarterfinals where they will take on New York University (14-10) from the University Athletic Association on Friday, March 1. Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Cabrini University will host the quarterfinals (Friday), semifinals (Saturday) and championship (Sunday) rounds of the ECAC Tournament Championship.