Box Score  
 
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 9) – It took five extra minutes of closely contested action to achieve, but the Waynesburg University women's basketball team extended their longest winning streak of the season to three games on Wednesday night by beating Thiel 72-70 in overtime at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
 
Neither team held a lead larger than seven points on the night, and the two squads combined for 17 lead changes or ties on the evening. The win improved the home team's overall record to 6-8 and moved the Yellow Jackets to 5-2 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action. Thiel fell to 2-12 on the year and 1-6 in conference play.
 
Offense was hard to come by for both teams, as the game remained scoreless over the first 3:26 of play. Yellow Jacket freshman Gina Rievel finally put the first points on the board with a pair of free throws that put her team up 2-0. Thiel responded by scoring the next eight points to build up a six-point lead with 13:11 left to play in the first half.
 
Still without a field goal after almost seven minutes of play, the Jackets finally got an offensive spark, and it came from sophomore guard Hayden Giuliani. The Morgantown, W.Va. native came off the bench and unleashed a long range barrage. Giuliani connected on a trio of three-pointers as part of a 12-2 Yellow Jacket run that put the home team up 14-10 after 8:38 of action. That lead change was the second of many over the night, but when the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, neither of them held an advantage, as the score was tied at 25-25.  
 
Thiel came out hot in the second period and jumped out to a 31-25 lead after 1:29 of play. As they did all night, the Yellow Jackets responded to the Tomcats' challenge and put together a 13-4 run capped by a fast break layup from senior guard Jessi Drayer that put the Orange and Black ahead 38-35 with 14 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
The two teams continued to trade baskets and leads, and with just 44 seconds showing on the scoreboard at the Marisa Fieldhouse, Waynesburg led 64-58. To Thiel's credit, the visiting team didn't give up and with one second left on the clock, Tomcat senior forward Kelly Barzak knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 64-64 and send it into overtime.
 
After Thiel opened the extra period with a basket 29 seconds into the frame, Drayer responded with a go-ahead three-pointer to put her team up 67-66. A pair of Waynesburg free throws expanded its lead to 69-66, but the Tomcats responded with two foul shots of their own to return the game to a one-point difference at 69-68.
 
With 55 seconds showing on clock, sophomore forward Rachel Lovely made Waynesburg's final field goal of the night with a layup that put her team back ahead by three points. Thiel got its final bucket 29 seconds later, making the score 71-70 Jackets. Drayer posted the final point of the evening on a free throw with just 12 seconds showing on the clock and after Thiel missed a last-second field goal, Waynesburg was finally able to enjoy its well-deserved victory.
 
Giuliani led Waynesburg to victory with a team-high 17 points. She was one of four Jackets to reach double digits in scoring. The quartet was completed by Drayer (13), Rievel (12) and junior Elaine Hasek (11)
 
The Jackets go for their fourth-straight victory on Saturday, Jan. 12, when they hit the road for a PAC battle at Chatham. Start time is scheduled for 2 p.m.