MEADVILLE, Pa. – Freshman forward Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock) netted a collegiate-best 17 points off the bench to help the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team collect a 59-55 road victory over Allegheny College Saturday afternoon in Crawford County. 
 
The win was the fifth-straight for W&J, who improves to 10-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference and 14-2 overall. Allegheny drops to 6-5 in the conference and 7-9 overall. 
 
Wan drained 7-of-10 field goal attempts including a pair of three-pointers to help lift the Presidents past the Gators. Junior guard Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) joined Wan in double figures with 13 points while adding eight rebounds. Junior guard/forward Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) finished with a game-high 15 rebounds while matching the game-high with five assists. Freshman center Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) provided seven points and a season-best 10 rebounds off the bench. 
 
The Gators took advantage of a slow start by the Presidents. The hosts raced out to an early 9-2 lead over the first three minutes. After a coast-to-coast layup by Dryburgh, Allegheny sunk another three-point field goal to take its largest lead of the first half at 12-4. 
 
W&J seemed to figure some things out after the media timeout. Wan provided an immediate spark off the bench. Wan drained a three-point field goal and shortly thereafter added a driving layup to close the deficit to 12-9 at the 2:18 mark. A late three-pointer by Cherry trimmed the Gators' lead to 14-12 after the first quarter. 
 
The Red and Black carried that momentum into the second quarter. After a split at the free throw line pushed Allegheny's lead to three points, Cherry tied the score at 15-15 with her second three-pointer of the game. Following a defensive stop, Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) gave the Presidents their first lead with a successful layup. Cherry pushed the lead to 19-15 with a nice drive and finish at the basket. Allegheny quickly countered with four-straight points to even the score at 19-19. However, W&J used a 7-0 spurt to take its largest lead of the first half at 26-19. A field goal by Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) opened the run. A jumper by Wan and a three-pointer by Hannah Archer (Lowell, Ohio./Fort Frye) pushed the lead to seven at the 5:09 mark. 
 
However, from that point, W&J went cold, and Allegheny was able to chip away for the remainder of the half. The Presidents were unable to convert a field goal over the final five-plus minutes and settled for a 27-25 lead at the break.  
 
Cherry and Wan put together strong first half contributions to help W&J build the narrow lead at the break. Cherry had a team-high eight points. Cherry made all three field goal attempts including a pair of threes over the first 20 minutes. Wan chipped in seven points and three rebounds off the bench in the opening half. 
 
The Presidents were able to shake free of the Gators midway through the third quarter. Back-to-back jumpers by Loutsionmade it 35-29 Presidents at the 3:41 mark. A little later, Wan buried a three-pointer to push the lead to seven points. The Gators used a late jumper to pull within three points as the Presidents held a 40-37 lead after three quarters. 
 
W&J never relinquished its lead over the final four quarters. The Red and Black were able to do just enough to hold off a game Gators squad. Leading by just a single point with 5:12 to play, W&J scored eight-straight points to take control. Wan accounted for six points while Kovalchick added a jumper during the spurt. Cherry drained five-of-six free throw attempts over the final 1:07 to help W&J seal the win. 
 
Both teams found offense difficult to come by in Saturday's slugfest. Both teams converted at a 33.3 percent clip from the field – W&J (22-of-66) and Allegheny (23-of-69). The Presidents held slight advantages in three-pointers made (6-4) and free throws made (9-5). 
 
W&J posted a 52-40 advantage in rebounding with Dryburgh and Kovalchick combining for 25, which was nearly half of the Presidents' boards.
 
Emily Lauer finished with a game-high 18 points while Sarah Santicola tallied 13 points and 12 rebounds for Allegheny.
 
W&J returns to action when they host Chatham University on Saturday, Jan. 20. The teams will enter the contest with identical 10-1 records in conference play. The Cougars handed the Presidents their lone conference loss back on Nov. 19. Start time at Salvitti Family Gymnasium is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be played in conjunction with W&J Basketball Alumni Day.