WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 7) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team picked up a thrilling 77-76 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win over rival Washington & Jefferson on Saturday at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The victory kept the Yellow Jackets in sole possession of fourth place in the PAC standings.
 
The Jackets (11-10, 8-6) got off to a fast start against the Presidents (16-5, 10-4) and jumped out to a game-high 15-point lead (28-13) at the midway point of the first half. Waynesburg was able to maintain its double-digit lead until the 16:36 mark of the opening period, when W&J trimmed its deficit down to 38-30. That basket started a 9-0 run by the visitors that lasted for the remainder of the first period. By the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, Waynesburg's sizeable advantage had been cut all the way down to a single point at 38-37.
 
The Presidents kept the momentum going into the second half by pouring in the first six points of the half to take a 43-38 lead. A layup by junior guard Lauren Blair stopped the 15-0 surge and cut the President advantage down to 43-40.
 
The two teams traded baskets as the game wore on, with neither building a lead larger than six points. The intensity of the contest rose to a boiling point with 14:24 remaining in the contest, when players from both teams were assessed technical fouls.
 
The Presidents maintained a lead until there was 4:14 remaining in the contest, when junior forward Heather Davis knocked down a jumper that put the home team ahead 73-72.A Blair layup just over a minute later stretched the Waynesburg edge to 75-72.
 
Waynesburg never lost the lead from that point on, but W&J managed to pull to within a single point (77-76) with 47 seconds showing on the clock. Both teams had a chance to put the game away down the final stretch run of the conference clash. With two seconds left to play, junior forward Maura Bobby iced the victory with a steal. Blair missed a free throw shortly after the takeaway, but the Presidents were unable to get one last shot off before the final buzzer.
 
The victory completed Waynesburg's first two-game season sweep of W&J since the 2011-12 campaign. The Jackets were led by freshman forward Addy Knetzer, who came off the bench to notch her fourth double-double of the season. The rookie standout went for 18 points and 12 rebounds, both of which were team highs. Sophomore guard Katie Gehlman added 15 points in a reserve role, while senior guard Hayden Giuliani chipped in 13 points to the winning effort. Blair dished out a game-high 10 assists.
 
Waynesburg piled up 56 rebounds in the victory, while W&J yanked down 41 boards. The Jackets also held a major advantage in three-point shooting. The home team knocked down nine-of-28 tries from long distance, while the Presidents connected on just one-of-10 attempts. That long range shooting helped to counteract the visiting team's 21-of-32 performance at the foul line. The Jackets made just 10-of-18 free throws.
 
The Orange and Black return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with a road trip to Thiel College. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.