NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Five Presidents reached double figures in scoring as the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team used a strong second half to finish off a commanding 85-55 road victory over Westminster College Saturday afternoon in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.

After suffering its first conference loss of the year Wednesday, the victory Saturday allowed W&J to return to the win column and keep the Presidents in control of first place in the PAC.  The Presidents move to 12-1 in PAC play and 15-3 overall. The loss drops Westminster to 2-11 in the league and 2-16 overall.

Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) paced the Presidents with a team-high 16 points while adding five assists. Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) and Raegan Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) each finished with 12 points. Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) and Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) contributed 10 points apiece in the lopsided victory.

W&J came out firing and built a double-digit lead after the opening 10 minutes of play. Loutsion drained a triple on the game's opening possession to put W&J in front. Westminster kept things close for the better part of the first quarter. However, five-straight points by Loutsion stretched the lead to six points at 14-8 at the 3:43 mark. Later in the quarter, Loutsion converted a layup and Jordyn Wolfe (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) connected on a three-point attempt that extended the lead to 23-12. A layup by DeRubbo with 1:02 left in the quarter ensured W&J a 25-15 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

The Presidents maintained its lead throughout the second quarter. Despite some resistance from the Titans, Kovalchick netted four-straight points to make the score 33-22 at the 4:44 mark. Bezjak and Kadlecik added three-point makes that allowed W&J to continue its stronghold on the lead. Westminster made consecutive three-point attempts to trim the W&J lead into single digits at halftime. The Presidents led by a 41-32 score at the break.

W&J put together a strong all-around third quarter to solidify its lead and eventually put the game out of reach. The Presidents outscored the Titans by a decided 30-7 score in the third. Loutsion opened the frame with a layup on W&J's first possession. After a defensive stop, Bejzak put the lead into double figures for good with a made three-point field goal. The Presidents' lead swelled to 59-36 midway through the quarter following a layup by Bezjak and a three-pointer by Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area). Kadlecik and DeRubbo combined for the final 12 points of the quarter for W&J as the visitors' lead grew to 71-39.

Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock) connected on consecutive field goals to open the fourth quarter. Kadlecik then tacked on five points in the final quarter to reach a new career high with 12 for the game. The lead reached as many as 36 points as W&J cleared the bench and cruised to the victory.
 
W&J finished with advantages in points off turnovers (18-5), bench points (38-24), second chance points (14-6) and fast break points (17-5). The biggest advantages came in the paint, as the Presidents outscored the Titans by a 46-22 margin.

Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Presidents on the glass. 

The Presidents host Grove City at Salvitti Family Gymnasium on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The conference game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start time.