W&J Downs Geneva For Third-Straight Win
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team defeated Geneva for the fifth consecutive time, downing the Golden Tornadoes 62-44 in PAC action on Wednesday evening.
The Presidents' victory, coupled with Waynesburg's loss at Saint Vincent Wednesday, clinched the No. 3 seed for W&J in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament when it begins on Tuesday (7:00 pm at W&J, most likely versus Grove City). W&J (17-7, 12-5) also tied a single-season school record for league victories with 12.
W&J opened with the game's first seven points before Geneva battled back to take a five-point lead (22-17) at the 7:50 mark of the first half. Junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) provided the response with 11 points during a 19-5 run that sent the Presidents into halftime with a 36-27 edge.
W&J appeared to seize control of the game when juniors Kara Seamon (Morgantown, W. Va./University) and Alexa Burzese (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) drained back-to-back three-pointers to open the second half, but the Golden Tornadoes battled back, eventually cutting the lead to 11 on Heidi Mann's triple at the second half's midway point.
The 11-point margin would be the closest that Geneva would get; however, as sophomore center Valerie Dunlap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) began a 9-0 surge over the next five minutes to secure the game for the Presidents. Dunlap and freshman forward Beka Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) both provided four points during the spurt.
W&J, which shot 44.6 percent (25-56) from the field, was led by Apke's 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Dunlap contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, while Bellhy pulled down seven boards. Seamon and senior guard Emily Abraham (Canfield, Ohio/Boardman) both tallied eight points and four assists.
Geneva was limited to 31 percent shooting (18-57), including a 4-of-21 mark from long range. Mann paced the Golden Tornadoes with 17 points, four assists and three steals, while Chelsea D'Urso added 12 points and four boards.
W&J closes out the regular season on Saturday when it hosts Bethany for Senior Day at the Henry Memorial Center (2:00 pm). The Presidents will honor Abraham prior to the game.
