Box Score

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Feb. 24) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team swept both games of its regular season series with Saint Vincent this past season by an average of seven points per victory. Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets couldn't' get past the Bearcats when it mattered most during Friday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament semifinal game at Thomas More College.
 
The game was a thrilling back-and-forth affair, but when the dust settled, it was Saint Vincent that punched its ticked to Saturday's championship game with a 56-54 win. With the loss, the Jackets fell to 20-7 overall and will have to wait and see if they will receive a bid to an ECAC tournament, as an NCAA at-large bid is unlikely. The Bearcats will face the winner of top-seeded Thomas More and number-four seed Bethany in Saturday's championship game.
 
The game was a hard-fought battle from the opening tip-off and with 11:43 left to play until halftime, the Jackets led by just one point at 10-9. Waynesburg took its largest lead of the game on a 5-0 run over the next two-plus minutes to go up 15-9 with 10:13 showing on the first-half clock.
 
Waynesburg continued to maintain a slim first-half lead until the 14:08 mark of the first half when the Bearcats dropped in four points to grab a 19-18 advantage. The Jackets regained the lead at 20-19, but a 6-0 Saint Vincent run gave the eventual winners a 25-20 lead that turned into a 28-24 Bearcat lead at halftime.
 
The second-seeded Cats expanded their lead to a game-high eight points thanks to a 6-2 surge that made the score 34-26 with 16:27 left to play. Waynesburg didn't seem phased by the multi-basket deficit as the Jackets fired back with a 9-0 spurt that gave them the lead back at 35-34. From there, the two teams went back-and-forth down the final few moments of the contest.
 
Down five points with just 13 seconds left to play, senior point guard Hannah Hunter knocked down a clutch three-pointer to pull her team within two. After Saint Vincent missed a late free throw, Waynesburg grabbed a rebound with just seconds left on the clock and made a dash for the basket. Junior forward Paige Pearce had a chance to tie the game, but the ball wouldn't fall as time ran out.
 
Neither team performed particularly well from the field as Saint Vincent connected on 33 percent of its shots, while Waynesburg made just over 30 percent from the floor. The Jackets' usually prolific three-point attack also struggled, as the number-three seed connected on just one-of-17 shots from down town.Saint Vincent, on the other hand, made four-of-16 attempts.
 
Waynesburg was led by junior guard Brittany Spencer, who recorded a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Pearce's late miss wasn't indicative of an otherwise strong night as she went for 14 points and six boards. Hunter chipped in 11 points and a game-high six assists.
 
Though they would have much rather qualified for the PAC title game, the Yellow Jackets received some nice consolation prizes as they pulled in a total of four all-conference accolades. Hunter was honored as a first-team All-PAC selection, while junior guard Jessi Drayer garnered second-team laurels and Spencer was given the nod as an honorable mention selection. For guiding his team to a second-straight 20-plus-win season and its second-straight year with a PAC tournament win, Jacket head coach Sam Jones was honored as PAC Coach of the Year.

For a complete look at all of this year's All-PAC honorees, click here.