TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Championship Game is set for Saturday after No. 1 Washington & Jefferson College and No. 3 Chatham University advanced with victories in their semifinal games Thursday night. Saturday's title tilt is scheduled for 4:30 pm in Washington, Pa.
W&J (22-4) will play in the title game for the first time since winning the 2022 championship after the Presidents bested fourth-seeded Grove City College 70-55. They will take on the defending champion Cougars (21-5), who will make their third consecutive appearance in the final game after going on the road to knock off second-seeded Allegheny College, 57-45.
The teams split their regular season match-ups during the year, with the Presidents winning 64-54 on their home floor on Nov. 26, while Chatham evened the series with a 67-62 victory in Pittsburgh on Jan. 22. W&J will be trying to win its seventh conference crown in program history. The Cougars' PAC title last year was their first and Chatham will try to become the first program to repeat as champions since Thomas More won three straight from 2016-18.
Thursday, Feb. 27 (Semifinal 1 - Washington, Pa.)
#1 W&J 70, #4 Grove City 55
The Presidents built a nine-point lead after three quarters and put the clamps on the Wolverines (16-11) defensively in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 15-point win.
A big offensive game from sophomore Katie Kovalchick began in the first quarter when she dropped in nine points to propel W&J to a 24-17 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, W&J's Riley DeRubbo scored seven and a Kovalchick bucket just before halftime sent the home team into intermission with a 43-34 advantage.
Each team scored 17 points in the third quarter and it was a 60-51 W&J lead going into the fourth. The Presidents' defense would clinch the victory, as they limited Grove City to just 1-for-15 shooting, including 0-for-7 from the arc in the final period. For the game, the Wolverines shot just 34 percent (23-68) and made only 7-of-25 from the three-point line (28 percent).
Kovalchick was the top scorer in the game, as she poured in 20 points and added three rebounds and a pair of steals. Also reaching double figures was Stellanie Loutsion with 18 and DeRubbo chipped in 13 off the bench. Forward Meghan Dryburgh had a solid game as well, with a game-high 14 boards and three blocks to go with seven points.
Leading Grove City in the game was Meredith Sherrerd with 13 points and Mara Polczynski recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Thursday, Feb. 27 (Semifinal 2 - Meadville, Pa.)
#3 Chatham 57, #2 Allegheny 45
Behind a defense that forced 23 Allegheny turnovers and a 19-6 scoring advantage in the third quarter, Chatham rallied from a first-half deficit to come out of Meadville with a 12-point win.
Both offenses struggled in the first quarter, with the Gators holding down a 9-8 lead after the first 10 minutes. Although Allegheny would shoot 58 percent (7-12) in the second quarter, the Cougars kept the game close by forcing six of those turnovers in the quarter and when Charjae Brock buried a half-court shot as the second quarter horn sounded, Chatham only trailed 23-21 at halftime.
Chatham kept the momentum following the break, scoring 19 of the 25 points in the third period, including the final eight in the quarter, to take a 40-29 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Gators made a charge to get back in the game and were within three at 45-42 with four minutes to play following an Emily Lauer three-pointer. But Allegheny would make just one more field goal the rest of the game and Chatham cemented the win by making six straight free throws in the final 35 seconds.
Despite shooting 29 percent in the game (20-69), the Cougars advanced with 20 points off the Allegheny miscues. Chatham had four post double digit points in the victory, led by Hannah Chenault with 14 and Madison Nereu notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Adding 10 points each in the victory was Ashlie Loudon and Alyssa Laukus.
For the Gators, Lauer scored a game-high 15 points, Bella Antonacci tallied 12 and Sarah Santicola totaled seven points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots.
2024-25 PAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, Feb. 25
#3 Chatham 61, #6 Bethany 59 - Box Score
#4 Grove City 58, #5 Saint Vincent 38 - Box Score
Semifinals - Thursday, Feb. 27
#3 Chatham 57, #2 Allegheny 45 - Box Score
#1 Washington & Jefferson 70, #4 Grove City 55 - Box Score
Finals - Saturday, March 1 - Washington, Pa.
#3 Chatham (21-5) at #1 Washington & Jefferson (22-4), 4:30 pm