WASHINGTON, Pa. (Feb. 6) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team traveled north to Washington & Jefferson on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets gave the Presidents all they could handle, but faded down the stretch run of a 90-84 loss.
Waynesburg (9-12, 7-7) and W&J (18-3, 13-1) played to 37-37 halftime tie after the Presidents won the first quarter 20-18, before the Jackets bounced back to out-score the opposition 19-17 in period two. The home team bounced back by out-scoring the visiting squad 25-21 in the third and grabbing a 62-58 edge.
The early part of the fourth quarter was highlighted by a long-range barrage from the Jackets. With Waynesburg trailing 66-60, senior forward
Heather Davis connected on three-pointers in back-to-back possessions that knotted the score up at 66-66. W&J responded with a trey of its own, before Davis canned another attempt from downtown to make the score 69-69.
The Presidents re-established a two-point lead at 73-71, but junior
Kassidy O'Keefe answered with her fourth three-pointer of the game to put her team up 74-73. Following a two-pointer from W&J, Davis bombed away with another trey to give Waynesburg a 77-75 advantage.
Unfortunately, that was the last lead held by the Jackets on the night, as the Presidents combined nearly flawless free throw shooting with timely baskets to win the final 3:37 of the game. A pair of free throws from senior guard
Lauren Blair pulled Waynesburg to a single point (80-79) with just over two minutes left to play. Unfortunately, W&J closed the contest on a 10-5 run to seal the victory.
Waynesburg's 14 made three-pointers tied for the season high in the PAC this season. Davis made half of those treys on 35 attempts (40 percent) as part of a team-high 23-point effort. O'Keefe posted a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. She knocked down four three-pointers on the day. Blair chipped in 12 points in the loss. As a team, the Jackets held a sizeable advantage in rebounding (54-41).
The Jackets return to competition on Wednesday, Feb. 10, when they host Thiel for a PAC contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
