PITTSBURGH, Pa. – February 27, 2021 – After facing a double-digit deficit late in the first half, the Chatham women's basketball team clawed its way back and held off Westminster 63-58 in a thrilling PAC matchup. Chatham's second straight win improves its record to 3-4.
 
The first quarter did not go Chatham's way. The Cougars trailed for the entire first half and most of it had to do with the slow start in which Westminster outscored Chatham 21-14. This came in spite of both teams shooting 50% from the field.
 
The second quarter didn't fare much better in the beginning, with the Titans taking their biggest lead of the night 31-17 with 3:12 to play in the half. The Cougars made the necessary adjustments and sliced the deficit to five by half, ending the quarter on an 8-2 run.
 
The third quarter was a huge difference in Chatham's come-from-behind victory. The Cougars outscored the Titans 23-9 in the third, holding the visitors to 24% from the field while Chatham shot 60%. In terms of point differential, it was the second-best quarter of the season.
 
Despite Chatham taking a nine-point lead after three, it was Westminster's turn to make a run. The Titans started the fourth on an 8-3 run and cut the gap to as few as two. The biggest difference was junior Kaitlyn Fertig. She drained three of her five threes in the fourth quarter and helped secure the five-point Chatham victory.
 
Fertig had a game-high 22 points, 5-7 from deep, seven rebounds and tied a career-high seven steals. Senior Brittani Smith was second with 14 points scored, and fellow post player graduate Maddy Grennes chipped in 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
 
Chatham won the turnover battle 23-15 but were outrebounded 44-28. The Cougars also swiped 14 steals.
 
Chatham has a week to prepare for its final home game of the season, a 1 p.m. tip with Washington & Jefferson on Saturday, March 6.