BETHANY, W. Va. – Chatham Women's Basketball (6-3, 0-2 PAC) dropped back-to-back games for the first time in over a year on Wednesday evening, falling 58-43 at Bethany (3-5, 1-1).
 
Ella Simpson led the scoring for the Bison with 16 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field and dished out 3 assists. Kadlee Potter scored 12 points and pulled down 7 boards. Kate Botti tied for a PAC high this season in rebounds with 19 for Bethany.
 
Senior Madison Nereu recorded her fourth double-double this season with 16 points on 7-16 shooting and 14 rebounds. Senior Alyssa Laukus scored 12 points for the Cougars and tallied 5 assists. Senior Julia Calvin netted 6 points shooting 2-6 from beyond the arc, and Graduate Student Jordyn Jensen recorded 4 points along with a career-high 4 steals for Chatham.
 
A low-scoring first quarter saw just 6 total points in the first five minutes. Calvin's three-pointer put the Cougars ahead 7-6, then Laukus would give Chatham a 9-8 advantage on a layup to give her 6 points in the frame. The Bison then responded with a 15-2 run that stretched until midway through the second quarter. Nereu put a stop to the run with a 4-point possession, but Bethany would score 4 points in the final minute of the half to take a 12-point lead to the locker room.
 
A 9-0 Bison scoring run in the middle of the third quarter extended their advantage to 43-25. Nereu and Laukus combined for a 9-2 Cougar scoring burst in response, but Chatham still trailed by 11 points with a quarter to go. Hannah Chenault's triple early in the fourth made the score 49-40 Bethany, but the Cougars would score just a single point in the next seven minutes of play. The Bison closed the game out with an 8-2 run in the final seven minutes of the game for a 15-point victory.
 
Chatham shot 23.9% (16-67) from the field, its lowest shooting percentage since Nov. 15, 2023. Bethany connected on 42.6% of its field goals (23-54), including 33.3% from three-point range (5-15).
 
Women's Basketball gets nearly three weeks off before they take the court again on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at Juniata with a 6 p.m. tip-off.