Women's Basketball | 3/6/2026 10:20:00 PM

HOLLAND, Mich. (pacathletics.org) – The Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team (22-7) dropped a 61-53 decision to 10th ranked Illinois Wesleyan University (23-5) in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday evening at DeVos Fieldhouse on the campus of Hope College in Holland, Mich.

The Presidents had four players finish in double figures scoring. Junior forward Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) led the Red and Black with a double-double effort, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) scored a team-high 13 points and pulled down six rebounds. Graduate student guard Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) finished with 11 points, three assists in three steals. Junior guard Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) added 11 points to round out the quartet.

Facing one of the toughest full court presses in the country, W&J committed a season-high 28 turnovers. W&J outshot IWU in terms of field goal percentage. The Presidents made 41.7 percent from the field and 81.8 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, the Presidents defense held the Titans to 36.5 percent from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from three-point range and 57.9 percent from the line. IWU committed 17 turnovers. The teams were near even in rebounding with IWU holding a slight 37-35 advantage. The 61 points were 10 points fewer the Titans' season average of 71-plus per game.

The Titans opened up an 8-3 lead at the 6:19 mark and eventually built a 12-5 advantage with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter. The Presidents found their footing with an 11-0 run to surge into the lead. A second chance basket by Loutsion opened the run. A pair of good free throws by junior guard Raegan Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) pushed W&J in front. Following a defensive stop, a driving layup and free throw by Grado stretched the Presidents' advantage to 16-12 with 38 seconds left in the opening quarter. The Presidents held a 16-14 lead after 10 minutes.

Field goals by Grado and Loutsion extended the Presidents extended the lead to 23-16 at the 6:14 mark. The Titans' full-court pressure defense limited the Presidents to two points and no field goals over the final six-plus minutes of the half. The lone points during the stretch were three free throws by Loutsion. IWU closed the half on an extended 15-3 run. The Titans led the Presidents by a 31-26 margin at the break.

Illinois Wesleyan further distanced themselves from W&J with its highest scoring quarter of the game in the third. The Titans outscored the Presidents by a 20-11 margin during the quarter. IWU carried a 51-37 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Presidents went nearly five minutes without a field goal in the fourth. W&J closed the game on a 16-4 run. Kovalchick broke the string with a layup at the 5:11 mark. Kovalchick added three more points before a pair of free throws by Grado. Senior guard/forward Brianna Toal (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) drained a triple off the bench in the waning moments to trim the deficit to 61-53.

The successful season was highlighted by W&J's second-straight conference tournament title and eighth in program history. Friday night's appearance marked the 10th all-time appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

W&J will lose DeRubbo, Loutsion and Toal to graduation. The latter two were four-year team members who contributed greatly to one of the most successful eras of W&J Women's Basketball.

Over the past four years, W&J has compiled an overall record of 93-18. This year's graduating class helped the Presidents claim two PAC Tournament Championships and played a role in guiding the women's basketball program to its first ever win in the NCAA Division III Tournament over Messiah University in the 2024-25 postseason. Loutsion finishes her collegiate career with 1,257 points, which ranks as 10th most in program history.

Photo courtesy of Andris B Visockis / Story courtesy of W&J Sports Information