PITTSBURGH Pa. -- Coming off of a loss to Saint Vincent this past Wednesday, Chatham University was firing on all cylinders as they picked up an 80-69 win over the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team this afternoon at the Athletic and Fitness Center in Pittsburgh.
The host Cougars made 12-of-25 three-pointe attempts and forced the Presidents to commit 22 turnovers in Saturday's contest.
The teams battled back and forth through a competitive first quarter. Despite shooting just 28.5 percent (4-of-14) from the field in the opening quarter, the host Cougars held a 14-13 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Chatham found its shooting stroke in the middle two quarters to take control. The Cougars were 8-of-16 from the field in the second which included makes on three of six three-point attempts during the frame. After a layup by Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) trimmed the deficit to two points (17-15), Chatham ripped off 11-straight points to extend the lead into double digits. Consecutive triples by the Cougars made it 28-15 at the six-minute mark of the second. Chatham led by at least eight points for the remainder of the half. A three-pointer by Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) on W&J's final possession trimmed Chatham's lead at halftime to 34-26.
W&J appeared poised to get back into the game early in the third quarter. The Red and Black trimmed the deficit to five points after consecutive buckets by Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) and Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin). However, the Cougars answered with six-straight points to stretch its lead to 43-32 just a little more than a minute later. Consecutive turnovers by W&J aided Chatham's spurt. The Cougars continued to click offensively and led by double digits for the remainder of the quarter despite the best efforts of Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock), who recorded three-straight field goals for W&J during the back half of the quarter. Chatham effectively put things out of reach by scoring the final nine points during the final 1:51 of the third quarter. That run made it a 20-point lead for Chatham entering the fourth.
Chatham's lead swelled to 25 points when another three-pointer by Ashlie Louden made it 74-49 at the 5:52 mark. W&J finished the game on a 20-6 run but fell by an 80-69 score. Halena Hill (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oakland Catholic) and Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) combined to account for eight points during the run.
The Presidents held advantages in second chance points (12-3), bench points (34-20), and points in the paint (34-24). Despite the advantages the Red & Black had over Chatham they were unable to account for the differences in three-point shooting. Chatham made 12 three-point field goals compared to just five by W&J.
Dryburgh led the Presidents on the stat sheet with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Wan reached double figures for a second-straight game, as she finished with 10 points. Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area), Kiyanna Dowling(York, Pa. / York Suburban), and Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan) all contributed three assists apiece.
Louden had the hot hand for the Cougars. The junior finished with 29 points which included a 9-of-15 effort from the field and six made three-pointers. Four Cougars scored in double figures in Saturday's win.
W&J (3-1 overall, 1-1 in PAC play) travels to Waynesburg (0-4 overall, 0-1 in PAC play) on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.