WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team lost, 72-53, against Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foe Washington and Jefferson College on the road on Saturday afternoon for its first loss of the 2020-21 season.
Westminster (2-1) engaged in a tight battle with W&J (3-0) early as both teams were tied (8-8) with 4:22 left in the first quarter. W&J held a narrow 15-12 lead after one. In the second frame, the Titans took their first lead of the game at 5:26 left when senior Ashley Russell (Belle Vernon, PA / Belle Vernon) converted a layup to give Westminster a 22-21 lead. The Titans held a 29-26 lead (their largest of the contest) just two minutes later after junior Magen Polczynski (Irwin, PA / Norwin) buried a jumper. The Presidents, however, came back with an 8-0 run to close out the first half with a 34-26 lead.
W&J built on its momentum it gained at the end of the first half, as it outscored the Titans 21-13 in the third quarter and 17-11 in the fourth quarter to claim the victory.
Polczynski led the Titans with 12 points and four assists (both team-highs) to go along with four rebounds, while sophomore Camden Hergenrother (Salem, OH / Cardinal Mooney) was close behind with eight points and four boards. Sophomore Lindsay Bell (Youngstown, OH / Ursuline) led Westminster on the glass with a game- and career high 13 rebounds to go along with six points for her second-consecutive game with 10+ rebounds. Russell and sophomore Natalie Murrio (Pittsburgh, PA / Brentwood) each contributed six points, while Russell tied a game-high with two steals. First-year Mariah Vincent (Franklin Pike, PA / Kennedy Catholic) also earned a career-high five points in the contest.
For the game, W&J out-shot the Titans 46.7% (28-60) to 33.3% (21-63). Westminster narrowly edged the Presidents on the glass (40-39), but W&J bested the Titans in assists (21-11) and held the advantage in points in the paint (40-24).
Westminster is next scheduled to play at home against Thiel College on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m.