Dunlap Delivers For Presidents In 56-51 Overtime Victory
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Sophomore center Valerie Dunlap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) totaled 20 points, 14 rebounds, seven blocks and three assists to help Washington & Jefferson record a 56-51 come-from-behind, overtime victory over Allegheny on Tuesday evening at the Henry Memorial Center.
The Presidents, who trailed for nearly 18 minutes during the second half, are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2009-10 when they finished with a 23-5 record.
Junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) forced the extra session with a turnaround jumper with 6.5 seconds remaining.
Both teams shot under 30 percent in the first half, but W&J nudged ahead 21-20 at the break following a pair of Apke free throws with 1:24 left.
The Presidents fell behind 26-21 early in the second half, but Dunlap ended a stretch of 15 minutes with only one made field goal on a jumper at the 15:21 mark. That shot spurred a 9-2 W&J rally which junior guard Alexa Burzese (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) capped on a three-pointer with 12:21 remaining to give W&J a 30-28 advantage.
Allegheny regained the lead after four-straight points from Daryl Ford and she added another basket with 1:30 left to give the Gators (1-2) a 47-43 edge. Junior guard Kara Seamon’s (Morgantown, W.Va./University) runner at the 48-second mark sliced the lead in half and Apke delivered her first bucket of the game in the closing seconds to force overtime. Allegheny had a three-pointer at the buzzer fall off the rim.
W&J never trailed in overtime after Dunlap scored with 3:47 remaining. She iced the game with a pair of free throws with seven seconds left.
Washington & Jefferson scored 18 points off of 20 Allegheny turnovers. Dunlap made 7-of-13 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws in 43 minutes of action, while Apke added nine points, eight rebounds, six steals and four assists. She also played 43 of a possible 45 minutes.
Freshman forward Beka Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) notched 12 points and four rebounds.
The Presidents shot 34 percent (19-of-56) and limited the Gators to 28 percent (19-of-69). Ford paced the Gators with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
W&J returns to action on Saturday when hosting La Roche at 4:00 pm.
