Presidents lose grip against Illinois Wesleyan
HOLLAND, Mich. – The Washington & Jefferson women’s basketball had a short stay in the NCAA Division III tournament. It lasted only one game as the Presidents’ season sank in a sea of turnovers.
Illinois Wesleyan’s Sara Balli and Ava Bardic combined for 32 points and the 10th-ranked Titans forced 28 Washington & Jefferson turnovers to beat the Presidents 61-53 Friday night at Hope College.
The Presidents, who picked up the first NCAA tournament victory in program history last year, end the season with a 22-7 record. Illinois Wesleyan (23-5) advances to Saturday’s second round.
The game started well for W&J as the Presidents led 16-14 at the end of one quarter. The Presidents, however, committed an uncharacteristic nine turnovers in the pivotal second quarter and were outscored 17-10 as Illinois Wesleyan took a 31-26 lead into intermission.
The Titans continued to build on their lead in the third quarter and held a 51-37 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Stellanie Loutsion led W&J in scoring with 13 points, all of them coming in the first half. Riley DeRubbo scored all of her 11 points in the second half. Katie Kovalachick had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Presidents shot 40 percent compared to Illinois Wesleyan’s 37 percent, but W&J couldn’t fuel enough offense for a second-half comeback because of its turnovers. Illinois Wesleyan was helped by grabbing 16 offensive rebounds.