Box Score
Waynesburg, Pa. (Jan. 19) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team overcame some cold shooting from the floor to take down Geneva 64-54 on Wednesday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
The Yellow Jackets (12-4) opened up a 4-4 score minutes into the game with an 8-0 run that put the home team ahead 12-4 just under six minutes into the contest. That was the biggest first-period lead Waynesburg could build against the Golden Tornadoes (7-9), who woke up from their cold start and tied the game up at 28-28 with 37 seconds to go in the first half. Luckily for the home squad, junior point guard Hannah Hunter made a layup with just one second showing on the clock to give her team a 30-28 advantage at halftime.
Much like the first half, the second started with the Jackets re-establishing a multi-basket lead by going on a 17-6 run over the first 7:18 of the half to build up a 47-34 advantage. Geneva never got closer than five points during the remainder of the contest and the Jackets scored the final three points of the game on free throws to turn a 61-54 edge into the final score of 64-54.
Senior forward Elisha Jones continued her outstanding final season with the team by pouring in a game-high 22 points. She just missed out on a double-double after pulling down nine rebounds. She also blocked two shots and recorded two steals. Sophomore guard Brittany Spencer secured her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. She also swiped a game-high four steals and swatted a contest-best three blocks.
Sophomore Paige Pearce added 11 points to the Jacket offensive attack, while Hunter chipped in 10 and dished out a game-high nine assists. That total also ties for a season-high in helpers, which Hunter recorded earlier in the year against Allegheny.
Both teams struggled from the floor, as each squad only made around 32 percent of their respective shots. The Yellow Jackets did enjoy a sizeable 55-to-44 advantage in rebounding, including a 26-to-16 edge on the offensive glass. Waynesburg was also strong defensively and forced 24 turnovers.
The Jackets will go for their third win in a row on Saturday when they head to Chatham to take on the Cougars in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) clash. Waynesburg claimed victory over Chatham the first time the two teams met this year on a memorable overtime buzzer-beater by Hunter. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
