GROVE CITY, Pa. (Jan. 18) – The last time the Waynesburg University women's basketball team squared off with Grove City, it resulted in a 41-point loss at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse earlier this season. Friday night, the Yellow Jackets looked to return the favor on the Wolverines' home court. The Orange and Black took it to the number-three team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), but came up just short of victory in a 70-65 setback.
 
After falling behind 20-14 following a quarter of play, Waynesburg (4-13, 2-7) scored the first six points of quarter number two to tie the game at 20-20. Freshman forward Brooke Fuller (Allison Park, Pa. / Hampton) tallied back-to-back field goals after sophomore Andrea Orlosky (Shelocta, Pa. / West Shamokin) dropped in a fast break layup.
 
The two conference rivals battled down the stretch of the first half with the score difference never growing past six points. A free throw by senior guard Julie Deklaven (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton La Salle) pulled the Jackets to within a point of the host squad at 30-29 with six seconds showing on the second quarter clock. The score differential remained at a single point when the two teams broke for halftime.
 
The third quarter got off to a quick start thanks to a pair of Orlosky layups that put Waynesburg ahead 33-30. The two teams battled back-and-forth over the period, which included multiple ties and lead changes, and with 1:44 remaining in the period, the Jackets held a 46-44 edge. A 7-0 run from the host squad put it ahead 51-46 by the start of the fourth quarter.
 
A strong start by Grove City allowed to build leads as large as 11 points over the final 10 minutes of play. Waynesburg didn't' give up on the win and was able to trim its deficit down to five (67-62) with 12 seconds left to play. After the Wolverines converted one-of-two foul shots a second later, Jacket freshman Kacey Kastroll (South Park, Pa. / South Park) knocked down a three pointer to make the score 68-65 with just over five seconds remaining in the contest.
 
The Wolverines were able to close out the victory by knocking down a pair of clutch free throws in the final few seconds of the night.
 
An eight-to-four advantage in three pointers played a big role in Grove City's victory.
 
Orlosky piled up a game-high 21 points to lead the Orange and Black offense. She shot nine-of-17 from the floor and added seven rebounds to another productive evening on the court.
 
Fuller tallied her second double-double on the year after recording 10 points and 10 rebounds. She also swatted away two blocks.
 
Senior point guard Monica Starre (Jewett, Ohio / Carrollton) piled up 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals against the Wolverines. DeKlaven enjoyed one of her best offensive games of the season with 13 points off the bench. She connected on four-of-five tries from the floor, including three-of-four attempts from long range.
 
Waynesburg returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 23, for a road PAC game at Chatham. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.