W&J Aims To Continue Dominance Of Chatham Saturday
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College women’s basketball team looks to remain unbeaten all-time against Chatham University when it hosts the Cougars at 2:00 pm on Saturday at the Henry Memorial Center.
The Presidents (8-4, 3-2 PAC) have won all 18 previous meetings with the Cougars by an average margin of over 28 points. Last season, W&J cruised to a pair of lopsided victories, including an 87-49 win in Washington. Senior guard Emily Abraham (Canfield, Ohio/Boardman) and junior guard Alexa Burzese (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) both drained a trio of three-pointers and sophomore center Valerie Dunlap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) grabbed 12 rebounds, while blocking six shots during the home victory.
Despite 14 points from both Burzese and Dunlap, the Presidents fell to Waynesburg by a score of 71-57 on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets extended a one-point halftime edge to double figures midway through the second half, but Burzese and sophomore guard Erin Lavery (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) sparked a run to cut into the Waynesburg lead. The duo combined to score 13-straight points for the Presidents to get W&J to within one at 53-52; however, WU responded with a barrage of three-pointers during a 17-6 surge to reclaim control of the game. Abraham tallied 11 points (3-8 three-pointers), while junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
W&J drained 8-of-22 triples against Waynesburg. The Presidents lead the conference in shooting percentage (.365, 65-178) from beyond the arc. Abraham has drilled a team-high 18 triples, while junior point guard Kara Seamon (Morgantown, W. Va./University) ranks second in the league in three-point shooting (.458; 11-24). Burzese is 6-for-10 from beyond the arc during the last two games.
Apke was limited to four points in the loss to the Yellow Jackets, but she still is sixth in the league in scoring (14.5 ppg). She extended her lead as the PAC’s top rebounder (10.4 rpg) and also ranks fourth in the conference in steals (3.0 spg).
Chatham (2-10, 1-4 PAC) ended a four-game losing streak by throttling Penn State-Altoona on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Freshman Rachel McClain set a Cougar single-game record with eight three-pointers (8-of-21) and finished with a career-high 34 points. The Cougars lost their most recent PAC game to Grove City 60-43 on Wednesday.
The Cougars have lost 16 consecutive road contests, a streak that began at W&J last season. McCkaub has provided a spark for the offense as she leads the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game. McClain is the top scorer among PAC freshmen and sixth overall in the league.
The Cougars’ lone win of the season came against Geneva on Dec. 1st by an 83-71 margin. McClain had 29 points, seven assists and three steals during a victory in which CU knocked down 13-of-28 triples.
W&J begins a weeklong road trip on Wednesday by kicking off a PAC doubleheader at Grove City. The women’s game tips off at 6:00 pm, followed by the men’s matchup at 8:00 pm.
