Box Score

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Dec. 19) – Coming into this season, the Waynesburg University women's basketball team had to replace four starters from last year's team, including two All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) performers. Through the early portion of the 2013-14 campaign, a very young Yellow Jacket squad has faced a slew of tough opponents and Thursday's matchup at La Roche was no exception.
 
The Jackets stepped onto the court against a 9-1 team that qualified for last year's NCAA Division III national tournament. However, Waynesburg showed no fear of the dynamic, athletic Redhawks and pulled out a 77-75 upset in Pittsburgh. The victory not only gave the Orange and Black (3-5) back-to-back wins for the first time this year, but it avenged an 81-77 defeat at the hands of La Roche (9-2) from the 2012-13 campaign.
 
The first eight minutes of the contest saw the two teams trading baskets to the tune of a 13-13 tie. However, a three-pointer by senior forward Elaine Hasek began a 7-0 run that put the visiting team up 20-13 with 10:28 to play until halftime. The Hawks fired back by scoring the next 10 points to claim a 23-20 advantage with just over six minutes showing on the first-half clock.
 
Momentum swung back into Waynesburg's favor during an 11-to-two surge that ended with the Jackets back on top 33-27 at the 2:17 mark of the period. La Roche showed its mettle by out-scoring its opposition 10-to-4 over the final seconds of the first half to tie the game up at 37-37 going into halftime.
 
When the highly entertaining non-conference tilt resumed in period number two, La Roche appeared ready to take control of the game and score its 10^th win of the season after opening up a game-high 10-point lead on two different occasions. But, just when it looked like the Jackets were poised to fall, head coach Sam Jones gathered his troops and jumped on the comeback trail.
 
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest, the Jackets trailed 57-48. Sophomore Heather Davis started a Waynesburg rally with a jump shot that trimmed her team's deficit down to seven points. Freshman forward Courtney Sargent followed with a pair of free throws and added a layup less than a minute later to make the score 57-54 with just under nine minutes showing on the clock.
 
The Redhawks ended the 6-0 Jacket run to pull back ahead 59-54, before Hasek responded with a layup to return her team's deficit to three points at 59-56. That field goal started a 9-0 Jacket surge that moved the visiting team ahead 63-59 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.
 
La Roche was ready with another answer to the Jacket challenge with a layup that made the score 63-61, but the Orange and Black had another scoring run in its pocket that came on a Davis three-pointer and two free throws from sophomore point guard Lauren Blair. Blair's successful foul shots put her team up 68-61 with four minutes to play. However, Waynesburg would have to show one last bit of fortitude before they could finally celebrate the win.
 
The Redhawks took off on an eight-to-one run that tied the game back up at 69-69 with 1:30 showing on the scoreboard. However, the night ultimately belonged to the road squad, which scored seven of the next eight points, including a Blair three-pointer and a combined four made free throws in four tries by Blair and Hasek.
 
Trailing 76-70, La Roche scored five quick points in the span of six seconds to claw back to within a single point (76-75) with nine seconds left to play. After the Jackets regained possession, Blair drew a crucial foul and knocked down one-of-two shots from the foul line. The Redhawks got off one last three-point try, but it was blocked away by Hasek and the celebration was on for the Jackets.
 
Hasek put together her second-straight double-double effort to lead her team to victory. The team's lone senior went off for 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds over a team-high 37 minutes played. It was her fourth double-double over the team's first eight games.
 
Sargent put together arguably her best effort as a collegiate player after pouring in a game-high 18 points off the bench and pulling down seven rebounds. Blair added 15 points, a team-high five assists and a game-high five steals to Waynesburg's winning effort.
 
The Jackets shot a respectable 43.6 percent from the floor, but held significant advantages from three-point range and the free throw line. Waynesburg drilled eight-of-25 treys, as compared to a four-of-13 effort from the home team. The Jackets really shined at the charity stripe, where they made 21-of-28 foul shots, as compared to just five makes in 15 attempts for La Roche.
 
Waynesburg will look to carry the momentum from Thursday's big win into the weekend, when it hosts Baldwin-Wallace for the Jackets' final game of 2013. Tipoff against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 3 p.m.