WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 9) – The 2018-19 Waynesburg University women's basketball team tipped off their season Friday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse against Carnegie Mellon. The Yellow Jackets got out to a hot start, but couldn't hold off the Tartans, who picked up a 67-54 win in overtime.
 
Waynesburg (0-1) rolled out a starting lineup that featured three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior against CMU (1-0) Utilizing a red hot start from three-point range, the Jackets built a 23-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Tartans began to chip away at their sizeable deficit, but by the time halftime came around, Waynesburg still held a 35-27 lead. The Jackets connected on seven-of-19 three-point tries over the first two quarters.
 
Unfortunately, CMU continued to slowly pull closer to Waynesburg and found itself trailing by just four (46-42) at the end of the third quarter. The Tartans took their first lead 3:27 into the final period at 47-46. The home team kept the score close as the fourth wore down to its conclusion and with 2:38 left to play in regulation, sophomore Elena McDermott (Slippery Rock, Pa. / Slippery Rock) made one-of-two free throws to put the Jackets ahead 54-52.
 
Waynesburg continued to cling to its one-basket edge, but the Tartans finally broke through for the game-tying basket with 44 second showing on the scoreboard. The Jackets had the last chance to pull out the win in regulation, but couldn't get the ball to drop and the game went to overtime.
 
Playing with just eight players against a noticeably bigger team in CMU looked to finally take its toll on Waynesburg, which was shut out 13-0 in the five minutes of extra time. Though his team fell in his 11^th season opener at Waynesburg, head coach Sam Jones still had positive things to say about Friday's contest.
 
"I thought our effort was really good," Jones said. "We need to fix a few details, but we competed hard all night against a good team."
 
Waynesburg was led by sophomore Andrea Orlosky (Shelocta, Pa. / West Shamokin), who put up solid all-around numbers. She tied for the game lead with 18 points on eight-of-15 shooting and posted team highs in rebounds (nine) and assists (six).
 
Freshman Haley Porter (Belmont, Ohio / Union Local) made a good first impression on her teammates by burying five three pointers during a 15-point debut. She also tied for the team lead with three steals.
 
Junior Erin Joyce gave Waynesburg a third scorer in double figures with 10 points.
 
The game was ultimately determined on the glass and at the free throw line. Carnegie Mellon out-rebounded Waynesburg by a 51-33 margin. The Tartans also knocked down 14-of-16 foul shots. The Jackets struggled at the stripe, connecting on just three-of-12 free throws.
 
The Yellow Jackets are off until Tuesday, Nov. 13, when they host Allegheny. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.