Seniors Lead W&J To Victory Over Grove City
WASHINGTON, Pa. - Led by seniors Ashley Kirkpatrick (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) and Vanessa Rivera (Reading, Pa./Wilson), the Washington & Jefferson College women’s basketball team rallied from an 11-point second half deficit to down Grove City College 74-67 at the Henry Memorial Center on Saturday afternoon.
The contest was tied 32-32 at halftime, but the Wolverines (7-16, 6-10) opened the second half with an 11-2 surge to grab a 45-34 advantage with 14:07 remaining.
Kirkpatrick and Rivera combined to score 11 of the Presidents’ (11-12, 6-11) next 13 points, as they rallied to even the game.
Senior Blair Cotton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) drilled a jumper to give W&J its first lead of the second stanza with 3:04 to go. Cotton followed with another basket and Kirkpatrick sank two free throws to give the Presidents a six-point edge.
Rivera drained 8-of-11 free throws in the last 1:15, helping W&J withstand Grove City’s final charge.
Head Coach Jina DeRubbo honored the team’s five seniors prior to tip-off. The quintet accumulated 36 of the Presidents’ 42 points after halftime, led by Rivera who netted 18 during the final 20 minutes.
Rivera nailed 12-of-16 free throws and led all scorers with a career-high 22 points. She also added four rebounds and three assists, while Cotton tallied 12 points.
Kirkpatrick contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Presidents, who shot 40 percent (21-52) from the field. The double-double was Kirkpatrick’s third-straight and seventh this season.
Megan Gebrosky paced the Wolverines with 21 points and three steals. Leah Gibson added 17 points for Grove City, which hit 39 percent (23-59) of its shots. The Wolverines were marred by 23 turnovers.
W&J returns to the Henry Memorial Center for the final time this winter on Wednesday to face Geneva at 6:00 pm. The Presidents downed the Golden Tornadoes 62-42 in Beaver Falls on January 14th.
