WASHINGTON, Pa – The Washington & Jefferson's women's basketball team saw 14 different players score as they rolled to a 103-58 victory over the visiting Thiel Tomcats in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon at Salvitti Gymnasium.
The 103 points establishes a new single-game school record for points. The mark tops the previous school record which was set in a 101-91 win over Saint Vincent in a PAC Tournament semifinal game on Feb. 28, 2014. Saturday marked just the third time in program history that W&J surpassed the 100-point mark in a game. The other occurrence came on Jan. 27, 2016.
The win Saturday was the 10th straight for the Presidents, who remain first place with a 15-1 record in PAC play. The Red and Black are now 19-2 overall. The loss drops the Thiel 0-16 in the league and 0-21 overall.
W&J shot 59.5 percent from the field (44-of-74). The Presidents drained 9-of-22 three-point attempts. W&J also held a 46-24 advantage in rebounding. W&J also recorded a season-high 36 assists, a total which is the fourth most in NCAA Division III this season.
The Red and Black had five players score in double figures. Leading the way with an all-around strong effort was Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), who posted a game-high 20 points with seven assists and five rebounds in just 16 minutes. Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) added 11 points and five assists. Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock) contributed 11 points while Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) and Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) added 10 points apiece.
W&J started the action in the first quarter with two good buckets by Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and a good hook shot by Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) to set the pace for the Presidents and claim the first six points of the contest. The next six points from the Red & Black would come from downtown with three pointers from Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa. / Albert Gallatin) and Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) respectively to set the score at 12-8 with 5:37 to go in the first.
Leading by just a 18-14 score, the Presidents stretched their lead back into double figures over the remaining 3:38 of the opening quarter. Baskets by Bezjak, Berardelli and Dryburgh put the lead at 25-14. Despite a late jumper by Thiel, the home team led 29-18 after 10 minutes of play.
The Presidents shot 55.6 percent from the field in the second quarter and further extended their lead before halftime. A three-pointer by Loutsion pushed the lead to 49-29 at the 1:56 mark. Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) scored down low after a nifty pass by Dryburgh just before the halftime buzzer to make it 53-34 at the break.
W&J continued to score at a high percentage over the final 20 minutes. A 28-point third quarter was highlighted by 12-straight points to open the second half. Berardelli and Dryburgh combined to account for nine of the points during the run. The run put the score at 65-34 just two-plus minutes into the second half. Dryburgh sank a pull up jumper at the 5:33 mark to give herself 20 points for the game and swell the lead to 69-39. Ally Fisher (New Kensington, Pa./Burrell) and Hannah Archer (Lowell, Ohio/Fort Frye) both made triples to help W&J carry a 81-53 lead into the fourth.
Briana Toal (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Moon Area), Sydney Snyder (Loudonville, Ohio / Loudonville) and Shannon Conley (West Mifflin, Pa. / West Mifflin) all found the scoring column over the final frame. Conley converted the final six points, including a layup to give W&J a new school record total of 103 with 1:11 to play.
W&J totaled 60 points in the paint, put together a 24-0 advantage in points off turnovers and had a 49-14 advantage in bench points.
The Red and Black return to action when they host Geneva College on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Start time is set for 6 p.m.