STEUBENVILLE. Ohio– Chatham Women's Basketball (15-6, 8-5 PAC) picked up their fourth consecutive road victory on Wednesday evening, defeating Franciscan (3-19, 0-13) 76-40.
 
Senior Madison Nereu scored a game-high 18 points while shooting 8-12 from the field with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Senior Maria Barela netted 14 points and dished out a game-high 6 assists. Senior Julia Calvin contributed 13 points for the Cougars, shooting 5-8 including 3-4 from beyond the arc. Junior Hannah Stephanites also shot 3-4 from deep to finish with 11 points. Senior Alyssa Laukus racked up a program-record 7 blocks, which tied this season's PAC-high, adding 6 points and 6 boards for Chatham.
 
The Cougars locked down on defense to begin the contest, as 8 points from Nereu helped Chatham take an early 14-2 lead. The Barons managed just 5 points in the first quarter, and a Calvin three-point basket to close the frame gave Chatham a 14-point advantage. Stephanites began quarter two with a triple to make the score 22-5. Franciscan then began to cut into its deficit, and a 9-2 run cut the Cougars' lead to 10. A Laukus jumper at the end of the half put Chatham ahead by 11 at the intermission.
 
The Cougars were not satisfied with that lead, however, and two three-pointers each from Stephanites and Hannah Chenault aided a 23-0 Chatham scoring run to being the third quarter. Calvin's triple with three minutes remaining in the quarter gave the Cougars a 53-19 advantage. Barela, Emily Venick, and Calvin all drained three-point baskets in the fourth quarter, with Calvin's bucket from deep giving Chatham its largest lead at 43 points with just over two minutes left on the clock. An 8-1 Baron run in the last two minutes cut the Cougars' winning margin to 36.
 
Chatham's 14 blocks set a new program record, and was just the second time in program history the Cougars have reached double-digit blocks in a game. Chatham's 47.5 percent shooting percentage (28-59) was its best in seven games, and the Cougars' 44.4 percent three-point percentage (12-27) was their highest of the season. Franciscan's 25.4 percent field goal percentage (16-63) was the lowest Chatham has allowed in conference play.
 
The Cougars are back at the Athletic and Fitness Center on Saturday when they take on Geneva at noon.