W&J winning streak snapped
Washington & Jefferson freshman guard Stellanie Loutsion posted a season-high 19 points in a 57-53 road setback to second place Saint Vincent Saturday afternoon in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game at the Robert S. Carey Center in Westmoreland County.
The loss ends W&J’s school-record tying 16-game winning streak. The Presidents drop to 13-1 in the PAC and 17-2 overall. Saint Vincent (15-3 overall, 13-2 PAC) extends its winning streak to 11 games.
W&J held a four-point lead at halftime, but Saint Vincent combined to score 39 points over the final 20 minutes to pull out the victory. The Presidents made just five-of-19 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
Loutsion was the only President to score in double figures. Victoria Koeck finished with nine points, seven boards and three steals. Meghan Dryburgh finished with a team-high nine rebounds in the loss.
Cal wins third straight: The California Vulcans moved into a four-way tie for second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West standings on Saturday afternoon following a 67-58 win over Pitt-Johnstown at the Convocation Center in divisional action.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 13-7 this season with a 9-5 mark in league play. The win also marked the 250th career victory for head coach Jess Strom, as she is one of nine women’s basketball coaches all-time (four active) in PSAC history to reach the milestone. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats drop to 12-8 overall and also sit second in the PSAC West standings with a 9-5 mark.
Junior Halle Herrington led the team in scoring for the third-straight game, finishing with 18 points behind 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. She is averaging 19.3 points over the last four games while shooting a combined 18-for-35 (51.4 percent) from beyond the arc during that span. Herrington played all 40 minutes on Saturday after entering play as the national leader in minutes played per game.
Sophomore Allycia Harris scored 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting and tallied nine rebounds (three rebounds) and two blocks. Junior Jordan Smith finished with six points, nine rebounds, one block and two steals while playing all 40 minutes, while senior Rajah Fink posted 12 points and six rebounds (four offensive) despite battling foul trouble. Fellow senior Ciaira Loyd registered 12 points, three rebounds and nine assists in the victory.
Men’s results
UPJ downs Cal: Despite nearly 40 combined points by redshirt junior Jermaine Hall, Jr. and sophomore Keith Palek III, the California (PA) men’s basketball team loss 76-72 against Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West play at the Convocation Center.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 9-11 overall with a 6-8 record in league play. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats registered their fourth-straight win and improve to 15-5 this season behind an 11-3 mark in conference competition.
Hall tallied 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting and eight rebounds (four offensive) on Saturday. He ranks second on the team in scoring this year with a career-high 17.0 points per game. Palek notched 19 points on 5-of-10 from the floor and seven-of-seven from the charity stripe. He also registered four rebounds and two assists while battling foul trouble.
Freshman KJ McClurg posted 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals against UPJ. Sophomore Cam Polak added seven points, five rebounds and two assists, while classmate DJ Slaughter totaled seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
W&J falls in OT: Despite a 28-point performance by freshman Matt Seidl and 24 points from junior Nick Gearhart, the Washington & Jefferson men’s basketball team dropped a 101-93 decision to host Saint Vincent College in overtime at the Robert S. Carey Center in Westmoreland County.
For the second time this season, the two teams battled into an overtime session. W&J won the previous match in overtime by a 100-93 score on Dec. 3. Saturday’s game featured 20 ties and six lead changes as the Bearcats outlasted the Presidents.