Washington and Jefferson ended two long droughts on Saturday by winning the Presidents’ Athletic Conference tournament championships in men’s and women’s basketball.
The Presidents’ top-ranked women’s team used a strong defensive effort to edge second seed Westminster 58-42 to start the doubles title at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium. The Presidents have won six PAC titles. It’s their first since 2005-06.
The win is the 11th straight for the presidents, who will enter the NCAA Division III tournament with a 23-4 record.
The top-seeded W&J men’s team capped off the night by beating second-seeded Chatham 68-63. The Presidents trailed for more than 36 minutes but rallied late to win the program’s first PAC title since the 1994-95 season.
The Presidents (24-4) extend their record season in the NCAA Division III Tournament. W&J will take part in the national tournament for the first time since 1993-94, when it qualified for the Elite Eight.
female game
The Presidents led 16-12 after the first quarter before taking a 28-23 advantage at halftime. A strong third quarter allowed W&J to extend its lead to double digits. The Presidents outscored the Titans by a 16-8 margin in the deciding third quarter by limiting Westminster to just three field goals.
Three presidents scored in double digits. W&J was led by Sarah Berardelli, who had 11 points and seven rebounds. Aleena McDaniel put in a solid performance off the bench. The senior had 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Victoria Koeck shot four of five and finished with 10 points.
W&J held a 17-0 advantage in bench points and a 38-31 rebounding advantage. The Presidents converted 16 of 20 from the free throw line. The Titans managed just four of 11 free throw opportunities.
Westminster junior Natalie Murrio led all scorers with 19 points.
Berardelli was named tournament MVP. Piper Morningstar and Meghan Dryburgh have joined Berardelli on the All-Tournament Team.
men’s game
Okikiola Agbale helped W&J turn the tide in the second half. The senior forward scored a season-high and game-high 18 points off the bench. Agbale converted all six field goal attempts and made six of seven free throws. Agbale was named the Most Outstanding Player of the PAC tournament. Sophomores Nick Gearhart and JR Mazza joined Agbale on the W&J All-Tournament Team.
Chatham quickly took a 9-2 lead less than four minutes into the game. The Cougars stretched the lead to double digits (18-8) when Nick Bomar made a layup. The Presidents found their footing offensively midway through the half. W&J used a 10-2 run to close the gap to 30-28 on a Gearhart three-pointer. A steal and three-pointer from Malik Potter just before the halftime buzzer gave the Cougars a 38-32 advantage.
A three-pointer from Mazza brought the Presidents back to 40-39. However, the Cougars extended the lead to eight points (59-51) on a jump shot from Potter with 9:18 remaining. W&J scored eight straight points and cut to a layup from Agbale with 3:59 left. W&J took their first lead on a Mazza three-pointer that made it 63-61 with 2:58 remaining.
Mazza was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to extend the lead to 66-61 with 1:25 remaining. Chatham made it a one-possession game after a Potter layup with 16 seconds left, but W&J converted two free throws to secure the victory.
The PAC title is the 10th for W&J.
Forty-four conferences have earned automatic qualification for this year’s 64-team NCAA Tournament. Pairings will be announced on Monday. The first and second round matches are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
W&J student expelled
A Washington & Jefferson student was expelled from the games on Saturday for holding up an insensitive sign aimed at Westminster basketball player Lindsay Bell.
The student, who was a member of the Presidents football team, was later expelled from the school.
On his Twitter account, Mike Sirianni, the school’s head football coach, apologized to Bell for the W&J student’s action.
“I’m embarrassed and appalled,” Sirianni posted on her Twitter account, “but most of all, I’m heartbroken for Lindsay and her family. I’m so sorry Lindsay.
In a statement, the college said “this type of behavior has no place at W&J and is contrary to our values as an institution.”
He added that “this student’s actions are not representative of the W&J community.”
