Behind a career-high performance from senior Gretchen Staubach, the Denison women's basketball team capped off the regular season with a dominating 75-38 victory at Allegheny on Saturday afternoon.  With the win, the Big Red will enter next week's North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament with a 19-6 record, while the Gators will carry a 14-11 mark into the postseason.

The two squads were in a battle over the opening seven and a half minutes  Ahead 15-13, Denison went on an 8-0 run to build a double-digit lead with 8:48 on the clock.  That run sparked a 16-2 spurt that gave DU its largest lead of the half at 31-15.  Allegheny chipped away at the deficit over the final three minutes as the Big Red went into the locker room with a 33-24 advantage.

The second half belonged to Denison as they shot 50 percent from the field (15-for-30) and were 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the charity stripe.  In addition to the solid offensive display, the DU defense also put on a strong performance.  The Big Red held the Gators to a 14.3 percent conversion rate from the field in the second period as the home team managed just 14 points over the 20 minute span.

Over the course of 40 minutes, Denison shot 46.6 percent from the field (27-for-58) and knocked down 75 percent (18-for-24) from the foul line. The Big Red also held a 49-35 advantage on the glass.  Allegheny went 14-for-62 (22.6 percent) from the field and earned just seven attempts at the free throw line.  Both squads committed 18 turnovers on the day. However, DU generated 21 points off turnovers, while the home team managed just four tallies off miscues.

Staubach led all scorers with a career-high 25 points in 26 minutes.  The senior knocked down 11-of-15 attempts (73.3 percent) from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the charity stripe.  She also pulled down seven rebounds.

Freshman post Jordan Holmes posted a double-double after scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-best 16 boards.  Holmes also blocked seven shots and dished out three assists in 32 minutes on the court. Junior guard Candise Love chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Emma Pellicano led the Gators with 14 points and five rebounds over the course of 26 minutes. Marina Scarantino paced Allegheny with three steals, while Jessica Mrdjenovich dished out four assists.

For the 13th-straight year, the Big Red will host an NCAC Quarterfinal game at Livingston Gymnasium.  Denison, who earned the third seed in the tournament with an 11-5 NCAC record, will host sixth-seeded Allegheny (8-8) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.