WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Junior guard Emily Lauer (Knox, Pa./Keystone) dropped a game-high 24 points on Saturday afternoon against first-place Washington and Jefferson College, but it wasn't enough for the Allegheny College women's basketball team in a 76-61 loss.

Despite the loss, the Gators concluded the regular season with a 12-8 record in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). As the fourth seed in the upcoming PAC Championship Tournament, Allegheny (13-12, 12-8 PAC) will host No. 5 Geneva College (12-13, 11-9 PAC) on Tuesday, February 20. The quarterfinal matchup will tip off at 7:00 p.m. inside the David V. Wise Center.

Lauer, the second-leading scorer in the conference, ended the regular season on a strong note. Her 24 points were only three shy of her season-high, thanks to a solid performance from the foul line. Lauer made a season-high nine free throws on 10 attempts. Her only 3-pointer of the day broke a 22-all tie in the second quarter and briefly gave the Gators a 25-22 lead. She also tied the score at 27-27, but the Presidents (23-2, 19-1 PAC) carried a four-point advantage into the halftime intermission, 36-32.

It was only a two-point difference, 43-41, following a pair of Sarah Santicola (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) free throws at the 4:44 mark of the third. However, the Presidents went on a bit of a run after Santicola collected her fourth foul and was forced to sit the rest of the period. W&J scored 10 of the next 12 points to push the lead to double-digits for the first time at 53-43. Lauer helped reduce the deficit to five points right before the quarter ended with a success and one.

The fourth quarter proved to be Allegheny's worst when the Gators needed points the most. As a team, they shot a game-low 15.8% (3-of-19) and made only 1-of-7 (14.3%) of their 3-point attempts. As a result, the Presidents were able to run away with the win by out-scoring the Gators 23-13 in the final 10 minutes.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny shot 27.3% overall (18-of-66), compared to a 40.0% effort by the Presidents (26-of-65).
• The two teams each attempted 28 free throws; the Gators made 20, and the Presidents converted 21.
• Allegheny had twice as many steals (10-to-5), forcing W&J to turn the ball over 16 times.
• Washington & Jefferson held a significant advantage in rebounds, 56-to-38.
• Lauer scored a game-high 24 points with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• Jess Bickart (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) had nine points with six rebounds and five assists.
• Santicola added seven points, led all Gators with nine rebounds, and tied Bickart with a team-leading five assists.
• Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central) added seven points, followed by Kate Leach (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and Jasmyn Fisher (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) with six apiece.
• Meghan Dryburgh led W&J with the game's only double-double, scoring 15 points with 16 rebounds.

News and Notes

• Allegheny ends the season with a 13-12 overall record and a 12-8 mark against PAC teams.
• The Gators qualified for the PAC Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season and will host a quarterfinal contest as the No. 4 seed.
• Lauer surpassed 400 points for the second year in a row and enters the postseason with 421 (16.8 PPG).
• With 288 rebounds, Santicola is closing in on third place in Allegheny single-season history, as she trails Carson Slade '91 (297) by nine.

Up Next
Fourth-seeded Allegheny hosts No. 5 Geneva on Tuesday, February 20, at 7:00 p.m. in the quarterfinal round of the PAC Championship Tournament.