Box Score
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 29) – The Waynesburg University basketball team led at halftime and held a small advantage with just minutes to go in their contest with Nazareth (N.Y.) on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets couldn't put the Golden Flyers away as they dropped a 62-58 contest during the late game of a double-header at Waynesburg's two-day Christmas event. The loss dropped the Jackets to 3-6 overall, while Nazareth improved to 6-1.
Over the first three minutes of the game, Waynesburg jumped out to a 6-0 advantage thanks to three-pointers by senior Johnna Deco and sophomore Callie White. The Jackets continued to lead until the 7:07 mark of the first period, when a pair of Flyer free throws tied the game at 10-10.
From there, the two teams went back-and-forth until the final buzzer of the half. After the two squads battled through six lead changes, the Jackets found themselves on top 29-26.
In the second half, Waynesburg held a small advantage over their opponents until 14:38 left in the game, when Nazareth tied the game up 35-35 with a lay up. That basket started a 10-0 run for the visitors, which put them ahead 43-35 with 11:20 to go in the game.
However, the Jackets refused to go away and went on a 10-0 run of their own that put the home team back up by the score of 45-43. Both squads battled as the game started to come to a close. With 4:51 left in the game, the two teams found themselves locked in a 50-50 battle.
Unfortunately, five quick Flyer points put Nazareth out ahead 55-50 with 3:48 showing on the scoreboard clock. From there, Waynesburg was able to cut it to three points on two separate occasions, but they couldn't get any closer as the visiting squad was able to seal up the win.
For the second-straight game, White led the Jackets in scoring with a game-high 17 points. She also completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, and added a team-best four assists.
The second-year standout was one of three Waynesburg players to reach double digits in scoring. Junior Elisha Jones added 11 points on the night, while sophomore Morgan Hoone chipped in 10. Deco contributed nine in the loss.
Nazareth was paced by senior guard Kelly Dunne, who poured in a team-best 13 points, while also dishing out a game-high six assists.
As a team, Waynesburg out-rebounded the Flyers by a 48-to-38 margin, and attempted 19 more shots from the floor. Unfortunately, the Jackets were only able to connect on 21-of-71 field goal tries for a 30 percent shooting percentage. Nazareth's advantage in three-point shooting (nine made tries to five) ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.
Day two of the event gets underway tomorrow when Mount Union squares off with Nazareth at 1 p.m. Waynesburg follows at 3 p.m., as they face the Saxons of Alfred.
The opening contest of day one saw Mount Union down Alfred 65-58.
