WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Behind 19 points from the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Addy Cherry, top-seeded Washington & Jefferson College defeated No. 3 Chatham University 59-50 in the 2025 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Championship Game Saturday in Washington, Pa.
The win gives the Presidents their seventh conference crown in program history and first since the 2021-22. With the victory, W&J earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with pairings being announced Monday, March 3rd at 2:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Saturday, March 1 (Championship Game - Washington, Pa.)
#1 W&J 59, #3 Chatham 50
The Presidents (23-4) came out of the starting gate hot from the floor to build a double-digit lead after one quarter. W&J shot 50 percent from the floor (9-for-18), including 6-of-12 from the arc, and when Bryn Bejzak buried a three at the first-quarter buzzer, the Presidents' lead stood at 24-11. Four different W&J players hit triples in the opening quarter, including two each from Bejzak and Addy Cherry.
The second quarter saw Chatham's offense start to warm up. The Cougars outscored the Presidents 12-9 in the period, including the final seven points of the quarter. The run was capped by a lay-in from Alyssa Laukus, which made it a 33-23 W&J advantage going into the intermission.
Chatham (21-6) kept the momentum and continued chopping down the W&J lead in the third quarter. The Presidents scored the first basket of the half, but the Cougars roared back with 12 consecutive points as part of a 16-2 surge. The run was sparked by seven points from Charjae Brock and Chatham would take their first lead since the first quarter when Ashlie Louden knocked down a jumper for a 39-37 Cougar lead with a minute left in the third quarter.
The lead was short-lived, as W&J's Riley DeRubbo knocked down two foul shots on the next possession to even the score at 39 and in the closing seconds of the quarter, a Cherry jumper gave the Presidents a 41-39 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
W&J would score the first two buckets in the fourth quarter and hold off Chatham the rest of the way. On two separate occasions, the Cougars moved within two in the final period, the second time coming on a lay-up by Louden with 2:25 to play to make it a 49-47 W&J lead. That would be answered with a Bejzak three and after a Chatham hoop, Cherry cashed in another shot from the arc for a 55-49 W&J lead with 1:03 to play.
The Presidents would clinch the win at the foul line, making four in the final 20 seconds. Cherry capped off her outstanding night by sinking two free throws with five seconds left. The senior point guard finished the night 7-of-14 from the field for her game-high 19 points while pulling down seven boards and passing out two assists to lead W&J to their championship win.
Also tallying double digits in the win was DeRubbo with 10 points off the bench, while Meghan Dryburgh had six points and 10 rebounds, which helped the Presidents post a 46-27 advantage on the glass for the game. Dryburgh would be named to the All-Tournament team following the game, as was Katie Kovalchick, who scored a game-high 20 points in the semifinal win over Grove City and totaled six points and nine boards in Saturday's final.
Chatham, who was playing in the PAC title game for the third year in a row, was led by Madison Nereu, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Brock with a dozen points. Nereu and Hannah Chenault were selected for the All-Tournament Team following the title game.
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.
#1 Washington & Jefferson 59, #3 Chatham 50 - Box Score