PITTSBURGH, Pa. (March 3) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team traveled to Carnegie Mellon University on Friday night to face Moravian in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship tournament. After playing a strong three quarters, the Yellow Jackets put the game well out of reach in the fourth and rolled into the semifinals with a 94-77 win.
 
With the victory, Waynesburg (18-11) advances to tomorrow's semifinal game against Springfield, which defeated New York University 64-63 earlier in the evening. It will be the Jackets' second appearance in the semifinals of an ECAC tournament in as many years.
 
Waynesburg never trailed in the postseason victory. The Yellow Jackets picked up the game's first four points thanks to baskets by junior forward Addy Knetzer and sophomore point guard Monica Starre. From there, the Orange and Black was able to put together a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The lead grew to as many as 13 points (45-32) in the second quarter, before Moravian (20-8) ended the first half by scoring the final four points and cutting its deficit 45-36 at halftime. The Greyhounds survived several Jacket runs that allowed for advantages as large as 15 in the third quarter and by the time the final 10 minutes got under way, Waynesburg led just 70-66.
 
Waynesburg finished with its best period of the game to seal up the win. The Jackets slowly, but consistently, pulled away from the opposition and outscored Moravian 24-11 in the fourth.
 
Waynesburg's offense was firing on all cylinders Friday night, resulting in its largest single-game scoring output of the season. All five Jacket starters reached double digits in scoring, with Knetzer leading the charge.
 
The Houston, Pennsylvania, native was almost unstoppable from the floor, where she knocked down 12-of-17 shots. Knetzer also converted all six of her free throw attempts as part of a game and season-high 30-point effort. Throw in 10 rebounds, and the first-team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) selection now has 18 double-doubles on the year, including one in each of her last three postseason contests.
 
Senior guard Katie Gehlmann knocked down five-of-six shots from the floor en route to 13 points. She also dished out a game-high five assists and pulled down seven rebounds. Starre matched Gehlmann with 13 markers, while senior guard Kassidy O'Keefe contributed 12 points and five rebounds to the winning effort. Senior forward Haley Delaney posted a 10-point, seven-rebound, four-assist evening on a game-high 39 minutes.
 
Tipoff for tomorrow's semifinal showdown with Springfield is set for 6 p.m.