PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team defeated Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opponent, Chatham University, by a score of 59-57 on the road Wednesday evening.
Westminster (7-0, 1-0 PAC) jumped out to a quick 8-6 lead over Chatham (6-1, 0-1 PAC) lead when senior forward
Kayla Bennett (Kent, OH / Theodore Roosevelt) notched six of Westminster's first eight points. The Titans led 13-10 after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Titans extend their lead to 25-18 going into the halftime break.
In the second half, the Cougars utilized a strong third quarter, outscoring Westminster 23-9 in the frame to grab a 41-34 lead heading into the fourth. Westminster responded in the fourth quarter, as senior guard
Brooke Lyczek (Cranberry Twp, PA / Seneca Valley) and senior forward
Emily Fromknecht (Erie, PA / McDowell) each buried a three pointer to make the score 41-40 with 9:07 remaining. The Titans regained the lead with 5:43 left in the game when Fromknecht converted a conventional three-point play to make the score 48-47 in favor of Westminster. The Titans held the lead for the remainder of the contest, holding off a final offensive push by Chatham to seal the victory.
The Titans shot 35.1% (20-57) from the field, including an 76.5% (13-17) mark from the free throw line. Chatham was 35.2% (19-54) from the field. The Titans forced 15 turnovers against the Cougars.
Lyczek led all scorers with a career-high 17 points off the bench on a 5-10 night from the field, including a 3-7 mark from beyond the arc. Bennett finished with 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Fromknecht tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds to mark her fourth double-double of the young season. Sophomore guard
Magen Polczynski (Irwin, PA / Norwin) registered 13 points and five rebounds.
With the win, Westminster tied the longest winning streak to start a season since the 1988-89 campaign when the Titans started the season 7-0 and finished the season 19-4 overall.
Westminster will be back on the court Saturday, December 7 at home to take on Thiel College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.