PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Women's Basketball (16-7, 9-5 PAC) took over in the second half of Saturday afternoon's game against Geneva (8-15, 5-9) to secure a 77-58 victory.
 
Senior Hannah Chenault led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 6-15 from three-point range and collecting 6 rebounds for the Cougars. Senior Madison Nereu tied a career-high with 17 rebounds and netted 23 points for her 12th double-double of the season while adding a team-high 4 assists and 3 steals. Senior Alyssa Laukus contributed 10 points on 3-7 shooting, and Senior Maria Barela had 9 points with a game-high 4 steals for Chatham.
 
The first quarter was a low-scoring one, and a three-pointer by the Golden Tornadoes put them ahead 11-7 with a minute left. Emily Venick responded with a three-point basket to bring the Cougars within a point at the end of the frame. Chenault's layup with six minutes to go in the second quarter gave Chatham a 20-14 lead. Geneva would come back to take a 26-25 advantage a minute before halftime, but Nereu's layup with 16 seconds on the clock ensured the Cougars a lead heading into the locker room.
 
The Golden Tornadoes looked as though they would take the game down to the wire after leading 40-37 with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter. That's when Hannah Chenault, started to connect from beyond the arc, knocking down back-to-back triples that gave Chatham a 45-40 lead they would not relinquish. Another Chenault three-point basket capped the Cougars' run at 29-3, and Chatham led 66-43 with five-and-half minutes to go. Chenault would bury another three-pointer to make the score 76-53 before the Cougars eventually won by a 19-point margin.
 
Chatham shot 42.2 percent for the game (27-64), including 60 percent (9-15) in the second half. It held Geneva to 35.6 percent from the field (21-59). The Cougars finished the game with 10 turnovers while the Golden Tornadoes turned to ball over 21 times.
 
Women's Basketball will travel to Waynesburg for a Wednesday night matchup at 7 p.m. With a win, Chatham would clinch a spot in the PAC Tournament.