WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 15) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team tipped off the 2016-17 season on Tuesday night with a home game against Frostburg State. The Yellow Jackets built up a 15-point halftime lead, survived a spirited comeback try by the Bobcats and ended the contest with a 70-61 victory.
 
Waynesburg (1-0) opened its season on a 7-2 run over the first 3:17 of play. Three-pointers by seniors Katie Gehlmann and Haley Delaney fueled the early surge. The Yellow Jackets never trailed for the remainder of the contest, although Frostburg (0-1) was able to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:06 left to play in the opening quarter. The Jackets responded to the challenge with an 8-0 spurt that made the score 15-7 6:40 into the game.
 
Waynesburg ended the quarter with a 22-13 lead and grew its advantage to as many as 17 points (40-23) with 41 seconds left to play in period number two. An FSU layup brought about the halftime score of 40-25. The Jackets shot an even 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor over the first 20 minutes of play, and matched that percentage from three-point range (four-for-eight).
 
FSU played its way back into the contest through the first 5:43 of the third quarter. The visitors outscored their hosts 18-6 over that time frame and trimmed their deficit down to just three points at 46-43. However, the Orange and Black answered the challenge by scoring eight of the final nine points of the period.
 
Waynesburg took a 54-44 lead into the fourth-and-final quarter and was able to maintain multi-score advantages for the remainder of the evening. The Jacket leads ranged from 12 points to four points as the game reached its conclusion. A small 4-0 run consisting of two free throws each from Gehlmann and junior forward Addy Knetzer over the final 33 seconds put the finishing touches on Waynesburg's first win in a season opener since 2011.
 
After being named second-team All-PAC as a sophomore, Knetzer picked up where she left off with her first double-double of the season. The Houston, Pennsylvania, native tallied a team-high 17 points and pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds. She shot seven-of-13 from the floor and added a contest-best four assists to an impressive opening night.
 
Knetzer was one of four double-digit scorers for the Jackets. Gehlmann and sophomore guard Monica Starre put up 12 points each, while junior Mackenna Drazich chipped in 10 points off the bench. Drazich matched Knetzer with four assists.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Friday, Nov. 18, when it travels to Erie, Pennsylvania, to take part in the Penn State Behrend Tournament. The Jackets face Bluffton to begin the two-day event.