Apke And Dunlap Spark W&J To Senior Day Victory
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) and sophomore center Valerie Dunlap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) both scored 24 points to lead Washington & Jefferson College to an 81-66 Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s basketball victory over Bethany in the Presidents' home finale Saturday at the Henry Memorial Center.
Apke shot 10-of-13 from the field and made all four of her free throws, while Dunlap was 10-of-18 shooting and added six rebounds. Apke also contributed nine boards, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks. Dunlap blocked one shot, setting a new single-season school record with 66.
Prior to the game, the Presidents honored senior guard Emily Abraham (Canfield, Ohio/Boardman) for her contributions during the past four seasons. Abraham collected 12 points (5-7 FG), three rebounds and two assists during the final regular-season home contest of her career.
The first 14 minutes of the game were closely contested with neither team leading by more than five, but W&J broke the game open with a 9-0 outburst. Apke capped the spurt with a jumper, making the score 37-27. Sophomore guard Erin Lavery (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) pushed the lead to 12 with a pair of free throws just before the halftime buzzer.
Dunlap scored the Presidents’ first nine points of the second half, but Bethany kept pace, eventually cutting W&J’s lead to seven (63-56) on Mikayla Tipton’s layup at the 10:40 mark.
W&J responded by scoring 14 of the game’s next 16 points over the next 5:31, taking a 77-58 lead to preserve the team’s eighth home victory of the season.
The Presidents drained 51.6 percent of their shots (32-62) and dished out 22 assists on 32 baskets. Junior point guard Kara Seamon (Morgantown, W. Va./University) tied a career high with eight helpers, while classmate Alexa Burzese (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) dished out five. Seamon also tallied eight points.
Tipton and Taylor Verrico paced the Bison with 21 points apiece. Brianna Nuzum bucketed 16 points, while Kayla Taormina grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Bethany held a 39-31 edge overall on the glass.
W&J (18-7, 13-5) begins the PAC Tournament on Tuesday as the No. 3 seed when it hosts sixth-seeded Grove City at 7:00 pm.
