Apke And Dunlap Lead W&J To Victory At Waynesburg
WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) and sophomore center Valerie Dulap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) combined for 45 points and 25 rebounds, leading Washington & Jefferson College past Waynesburg 56-51 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s basketball action from the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse Wednesday evening.
Dunlap recorded a game-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Apke turned in a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double performance. The victory was the 299th in the 16-year career of Head Coach Jina DeRubbo (168 wins in 9 years at W&J; 131 in 7 years at Bethany).
Waynesburg (9-11, 8-5 PAC) started fast, leading for nearly the entire first half by as many as eight points. Emily Miller’s jumper with 4:19 left pushed the Yellow Jackets edge to 24-17, but W&J (14-6, 9-4 PAC) locked down on defense and did not allow Waynesburg to score for the remainder of the half.
Apke’s three-point play with one minute remaining brought the Presidents within two points as the teams entered halftime.
The Yellow Jackets continued to hold the lead until Dunlap drained three consecutive shots, putting W&J in front 45-42 with just over five minutes to play.
Elaine Hasek responded for Waynesburg by drilling a three-pointer, but Apke provided the answer for the Presidents with seven-straight points as W&J took a 52-46 lead.
With under a minute to play, Waynesburg battled back to within one point, but Dunlap connected on an off-balance jumper in the lane to put W&J back up three. Junior point guard Kara Seamon (Morgantown, W. Va.) stole the ensuing inbound pass and made 1-of-2 free throws to seal the victory.
Apke drilled 7-of-12 shots from the field and 8-of-11 at the free throw stripe for W&J, which shot 40 percent (20-49). The Presidents recorded 14 assists on their 20 made baskets, led by Seamon’s five. Seamon leads the PAC in assists this winter.
Paige Pearce was the lone Yellow Jacket in double figures with 14 points. Waynesburg connected on 32 percent of its shots (20-61) and was outrebounded 40-32.
The 56-51 victory was W&J’s third by that score this season. Prior to this year, the Presidents had never recorded a win by by a 56-51 count in their history.
W&J returns home on Saturday to face ninth-ranked Thomas More at 4:00 pm. The Saints edged the Presidents 61-57 earlier this season in Kentucky.
