WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Sophomore Aleena McDaniel finished with a career-high 17 points to help guide the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team to a 71-64 victory over Case Western Reserve University Friday night in the Springhill Suites Tip-Off Tournament at Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
Sophomore Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) finished with 13 points, while junior Lauren Gilbert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and sophomore Tori Boalton (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) finished with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
For the second consecutive game, the Presidents had to battle back from a halftime deficit. The visiting Spartans built an eight-point (18-10) first quarter lead with a layup at the 2:44 mark. W&J closed the first quarter with seven straight points to trim the Spartans' lead to 18-17 after 10 minutes. Boalton started the run with a successful three-point field goal. Freshman Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) tacked on a layup as well during the run.
After a jumper by McDaniel gave W&J a 19-18 lead early in the second quarter, Case rebuilt its lead to six points with 6:03 left in the half. A three-point basket by Koeck brought the Presidents back within a point at the 1:14 mark of the second. However, the Spartans recorded the final six points of the second to take a 37-29 lead into halftime.
W&J opened the third quarter with an extended 12-4 run to tie the score at 41-41 at the five-minute mark. Morningstar accounted for half of the Presidents points during the run, which included a triple by the sophomore transfer. The teams traded points before Morninstar dialed up another triple to give W&J a 48-45 edge with 3:37 left in the third. A pair of free throws by junior Alie Seto (Allison, Pa./Brownsville) helped the Presidents take a 52-48 lead into the fourth.
The Presidents remained in front for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back baskets by McDaniel and Boalton pushed the lead to 60-54 with 4:41 left in the game. W&J continued to hold the lead for the remainder of the game. After cutting the deficit to four (68-64) with 33 seconds left, W&J salted the game away with three free throws by McDaniel and junior Hannah Johnston (East Freedom, Pa./Central) over the final 30 seconds.
Seto narrowly missed her second double-double in as many games, as she finished with nine points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Megan Williams (Bay Village, Ohio / Lake Ridge Academy) finished with a game-high five assists. Gilbert added four assists and a pair of steals to her stat line. Abbey Lawrence paced all scorers with 21 points to lead CWRU.
W&J held a decisive advantage in bench points, as they outscored Case by a 32-15 margin in the category. W&J outrebounded CWRU by a 46-42 margin, including a 28-15 margin in the second half.
The Presidents host Carnegie Mellon University for a non-conference game on day two of the Springhill Suites Tip-Off Tournament. The Presidents and Tartans will tip off at 3 p.m.