WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team turned in a suffocating defensive effort to roll to a 55-28 victory over Chatham University in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium Wednesday evening. 

W&J held Chatham to 12 made field goals on 62 attempts (19.4 percent), which included a 2-for-23 effort (8.7 percent) from behind the three-point line. The Presidents also pressured the Cougars into committing 15 turnovers. Chatham had just one quarter that they broke double-digits in scoring, which was their 10-point output in the fourth. 

The 28 points is the fewest W&J has allowed in a game in nearly a decade. The Presidents gave up just 27 points in a PAC win on Jan. 5, 2013, which also came against the Cougars. 

Freshman guard/forward Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), the conference's reigning Rookie of the Week, registered her third double-double of the season. Dryburgh finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Dryburgh drained 6-of-7 field goal attempts and was a perfect 5-for-5 inside the arc. 

Senior guard Kamryn Lach (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) drained 4-of-5 three-point attempts and finished with 12 points to join Dryburgh in double figures. Lach added a game-high five assists and three steals. 

Sophomore center Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) finished with nine points as 10 different Presidents scored in the game. 

Both teams struggled to score in the opening quarter in a matchup of two of the top defenses in the PAC. The visiting Cougars held a 4-2 lead after a layup by Aurielle Brunner at the 5:41 mark of the first quarter. Consecutive baskets by Berardelli and senior guard Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) made the score 6-4 W&J with 4:06 to play in the opening frame. With 2:06 to play in the first, a three-pointer put Chatham back in front with a 7-6 lead. Dryburgh was able to beat the first quarter buzzer, pulling up and swishing a long three-point field goal just inside the halfcourt line. The Dryburgh triple allowed W&J to carry a 9-7 lead after 10 minutes of play. 

W&J took control of the game in the second quarter, as the Red and Black scored the first 10 points of the quarter to stretch its lead to 19-7. Freshman guard Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) and Lach each drained a three-pointer during the extended 13-0 run that spanned nearly eight minutes in length. Chatham recorded its first points of the second quarter when Maddy Grennes sunk a field goal at the 4:15 mark. W&J was able to maintain a double-digit lead as it carried a 23-13 lead into halftime. 

The Presidents put the game away early in the third quarter, as the home team used a 10-0 run to extend its advantage to 33-13. The run included two more made three-point field goals by Lach. W&J converted 8-of-14 field goal attempts, including 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point line in the third quarter. The Presidents outscored the Cougars 19-5 in the third to carry a commanding 42-18 lead into the fourth. 

A three-pointer by sophomore guard Alyssa Pollice (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) with 1:47 to play gave W&J its biggest lead at 54-23. 

The Red and Black improves to 10-3 overall and remains unbeaten in PAC play at 7-0. The loss drops Chatham to 8-4 overall and 2-3 in league games. 

W&J hosts Westminster (5-2 PAC, 8-5 overall) for a conference game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22. The Presidents escaped with a 60-59 win over the Titans in the conference opener back on Dec. 1.