Box Score

LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 4) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team scored one of its biggest wins in recent memory on Wednesday night in Latrobe. The Yellow Jackets held Saint Vincent to just 26.5 percent shooting and got a big night from its talented back court to take down the Bearcats 59-53.
 
With the win, Waynesburg stayed atop the Presidents' Athletic Conference at 5-0 and improved its overall record to 10-2. Saint Vincent, which entered the night in a three-way tie with the Jackets and Thomas More, suffered its first conference loss (4-1) of the season and fell to 9-3 overall.
 
Neither team was able to take control of the conference battle over the first eight minutes of play. However, with 11:40 showing on the first-half clock, Waynesburg strung together a small 6-0 run to take a seven-point lead (14-7) with 10:17 to go until halftime. The Yellow Jackets continued to maintain control for the majority of the first period, building up leads as large as 10 points, before Saint Vincent cut the advantage to three (28-25) at halftime.
 
After emerging from their locker room, the Jackets yielded the first four points of the second period as Saint Vincent grabbed a 29-28 advantage. Waynesburg's time out of the lead was short-lived as junior forward Paige Pearce recorded six of the Jackets' next eight points as the Jackets grabbed a 36-32 lead with 5:35 gone by in the second period. The visiting team not only led for the remainder of the game, but built up leads as large as 12 points on multiple occasions.
 
Waynesburg showcased outstanding conditioning as they were able to pull out the win despite playing just seven players. Starting guards Hannah Hunter, Jessi Drayer and Brittany Spencer all played major roles in the victory. Hunter continued to look like one of the top players in the PAC by pouring in a game-high 18 points, dishing out a contest-best seven assists and yanking down nine rebounds. Spencer posted her second double-double of the season after scoring 10 points and ripping down a personal collegiate-best 18 rebounds. Drayer contributed eight points and seven rebounds in the victory, while sophomore Elaine Hasek chipped in 13 points.
 
Along with their edge in shooting percentage, the Jackets also won the rebounding battle (54-to-50) and overcame a 19-8 disadvantage in turnovers. Waynesburg's win over Saint Vincent was the team's first since the 2006-07 season, a span of nine-straight losses. The Jackets will try to push their current winning streak to nine games and stay atop the conference standings on Saturday, when they travel to Bethany to face the Bison. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.