WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Despite a competitive first half, the Allegheny College women's basketball team dropped Saturday's road bout at Washington and Jefferson College, 76-47.

For 25 minutes, the Gators (8-9, 5-3 PAC) stood toe to toe with the defending Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) champs from W&J (12-5, 7-1 PAC). Both teams got off to a strong offensive start, making the first quarter the highest scoring period of the afternoon. The Gators and Presidents combined for nine successful field goals and free throws, including four 3-pointers, in the first two-and-a-half minutes of action.

The Allegheny offense scored eight of the game's first 11 points and grabbed a quick 8-3 lead thanks to a pair of treys from Jess Bickart (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Isabella Antonacci (Indiana, Pa./Indiana, Area). Although the Presidents recovered and jumped ahead 23-16 by the end of the first, Antonacci found her stroke from midrange. The second-year guard opened the second quarter with six unanswered points, and another Bickart 3-pointer tied the score at 25-25. On Allegheny's next offensive possession, Sarah Santicola (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) gave the Gators their last lead of the day at 27-25 with 6:05 to go before the break.

After a closely contested first half, Washington and Jefferson took a 36-29 lead into the intermission. The Gators trailed by only five midway through the third quarter, 43-38. However, Allegheny was held to just two points for the remaining five-and-a-half minutes of the third, before being shut out for more than five minutes to start the fourth quarter. The Presidents, on the other hand, never looked back and ran away with the lead.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny posted identical shooting stats in the first two quarters with six field goals on 17 attempts (35.3%).
• However, in the second half, the Gators made only four field goals and shot 13.3%.
• W&J shot 45.2% overall (28-of-62) and 33.3% (7-of-21) from 3-point range.
• Both teams performed well from the foul line, as Allegheny finished 11-of-13 (84.6%) and W&J was 13-of-17 (76.5%).
• Points in the paint heavily favored the Presidents, as they outscored the Gators in the lane 36-10.
• Antonacci paced Allegheny's offense with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and one assist.
• Santicola also reached double figures with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals, one assist, and one block.
• Bickart recorded nine points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
• Pascale Olczak (Plum, Pa./Plum) and Karina Vasquez (San Antonio, Texas/John M. Harlan) combined for five points off the bench, all from the foul line.
• W&J's Katie Kovalchick had a game-high 29 points, followed by Stellanie Loutsion with 14 points.

News and Notes

• Despite the loss, Allegheny remains tied for first place in the PAC's North Division with Grove City College with a 5-3 conference record.
• Although the team's field-goal percentage was its lowest of the season, its free-throw percentage (84.6%) was its best of the year.
• Saturday's decision marked only the second time in 2025-26 that the Gators lost when logging fewer turnovers than their opponent (6-2).
• Antonacci has scored double-digit points in 10 consecutive games and 16 of the team's 17 games this season.
• Santicola reached double figures for the 11th time this season.
• With six rebounds against the Presidents, Santicola sits only nine away from becoming the first player in team history to reach 1,000 career rebounds.

Up Next
Allegheny hosts Geneva College inside the David V. Wise Center on Wednesday, January 28, at 6 p.m.