Box Score
GREENVILLE, Pa. (Feb. 5) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team played a strong complete game on Saturday as they rolled to a 72-50 win over Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Thiel.
The Yellow Jackets (16-5, 9-4) built up a 33-25 halftime lead and didn't let up as they out-scored the Tomcats (5-16, 3-9) 39-25 over the final 20 minutes of play. It was the third-straight win for the Jackets, which, when combined with a Grove City loss, put Waynesburg three games ahead of the Wolverines for third place in the conference standings.
After Thiel scored the first three points of the game, the Jackets rebounded with an 8-0 run to go ahead 8-3 early in the first half. After Waynesburg led for most of the period, the home team fired back and took a 23-22 lead with just over six minutes to play until halftime. However, the Jackets responded with a 9-0 surge that put them back ahead 31-23. The two squads traded layups just before halftime to bring about the halftime score of 33-25.
Waynesburg made sure not to let Thiel back into the game during the second period by shooting 47 percent from the floor (14-of-30) and holding the Tomcats to just 33 percent shooting (9-of-27). The Jackets also knocked down three three-pointers over the final 20 minutes, while the Tomcats went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Waynesburg's bench played a big role in the win by out-scoring Thiel's reserves 20-7 on the day.
The visitors built up leads as large of 24 points (72-48) on their way to another conference victory. Senior forward Elisha Jones paced the Waynesburg offense with a game-high 21 points. The fourth-year standout also put together her fifth double-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds to her day.
Junior point guard Hannah Hunter added 10 points to the winning effort and dished out a game-high six assists. Sophomore guard Jessi Drayer chipped in nine points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Speaking of rebounds, the Yellow Jackets out-worked Thiel on the glass by a 52-to-37 margin.
Waynesburg will try for its fourth win in a row on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when the Jackets head to Kentucky to face the number-one team in the country, Thomas More. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
