CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The Westminster College women's basketball team upset nationally-ranked Washington & Jefferson, 64-61, Friday night in the semifinal round of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament held at Thomas More. The Titans, the fourth-seeded team in the tournament, improve to 13-14, while the second-seeded Presidents, ranked 17th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division III Coaches' Poll, drop to 23-4 on the year.
Westminster now plays top-seeded and defending-champion Thomas More, the No. 16 team in the Coaches' Poll, on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Thomas More for the PAC Championship. The Titans are seeking their first conference title since they won their first-ever PAC title in 2005.
Senior guard Amy Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald) made an uncontested lay-up with nine seconds left to seal the win for the Titans. Dolsak led the Titans with 18 points on 6-8 shooting including 2-4 shooting from 3-point range.
Sophomore Emily Dolsak (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald) sank 15 points to go with seven rebounds. Freshman forward Katie Hughes (Boardman, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) bucketed a career-high 14 points to go with a team-high 10 rebounds. Hughes' first-ever game scoring in double figures was also her first double-double of her career.
PAC Player of the Year Kennan Killeen led the Presidents with 17 points. Alyssa Oursler also scored 10 points and Maggie Gibson bucketed eight points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Westminster shot 42.0 percent (21-50) from the field and W&J shot 35.0 percent (21-60). The Titans also held a 42-29 rebound advantage.
The game featured 18 ties and 17 lead changes. The biggest lead of the game occurred early in the second half when senior guard Lynn Riley (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) scored to give Westminster a 35-29 advantage.
After the game's 10th tie score came at 37-37 with 13:26 remaining, neither team led by more than three points until Amy Dolsak drained a 3-pointer that put the Titans up 55-51 with 4:35 left.
Amy Dolsak later knocked down a pair of free throws that gave the Titans a two-point lead with 1:02 remaining. Killeen was fouled with 15 seconds left, but she made one out of two and the Titans had the ball and up by one. That's when Amy Dolsak snuck behind W&J defensive pressure on the inbounds pass and sank the uncontested lay-up.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.
