W&J Falls To Ninth-Ranked Thomas More
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Allison Long scored 20 points to lead ninth-ranked Thomas More to a 77-53 victory over Washington & Jefferson College in Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s basketball action from the Henry Memorial Center on Saturday.
Thomas More won its 17th-straight game, upping its record to 20-1 (14-0 PAC), while W&J fell to 14-7 overall and 9-5 in conference play.
The Saints connected on nine of their first 10 shots to jump out to an early 12-point lead which was eventually extended to 21 points at halftime. The Presidents were held without a field goal during the final 5:05 of the first half.
Senior guard Emily Abraham (Canfield, Ohio/Boardman) brought W&J to within 17 with a three-pointer at the 14:12 mark, but Devin Beasley responded with a triple of her own to push the lead back to 20. The Saints would lead by at least that margin for the remainder of the game.
Abraham made a trio of three-pointers, finishing with 11 points, while sophomore center Valerie Dunlap (Hostetter, Pa./Latrobe) led the team with 12 points. Junior forward Chelsea Apke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Long and Beasley both drained five triples for the Saints, who shot 45 percent (28-62) from the field. Beasley came off the bench to score 17 points, while Jenny Burgoyne added 13.
W&J was limited to 32 percent shooting (19-58), but held a 42-35 edge on the boards. The Saints forced 22 turnovers, while committing just seven.
The Presidents are back at the Henry Memorial Center on Wednesday for a game with Grove City at 6:00 pm as Head Coach Jina DeRubbo remains in line for 300th victory. Apke scored a game-high 18 points to lead W&J to a 54-40 victory when the teams met earlier this season in Grove City.
