BRIDGEWATER, Va. (Jan. 28) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a road game at Bridgewater on Monday evening. The Yellow Jackets locked horns with the Eagles in a defensive struggle that saw the home team on the right end of a 70-65 contest.
 
Both teams had their hands full against the opposing defenses. Waynesburg (6-13) shot 31.5 percent from the floor, while Bridgewater (11-8) connected on 32.9 percent of its attempts. The two squads also posted similar numbers from three-point range, with the Jackets finding success on six-of-28 tries and the Eagles making five-of-22 treys. The game's final outcome was ultimately decided at the free throw line. Waynesburg made 13-of-20 foul shots, while Bridgewater was successful on 19-of-22 tries.
 
Things started well for the Jackets, who jumped out to an 11-2 lead after 3:10 of play. That advantage grew to 19-7 with just under two minutes remaining the opening quarter, but Bridgewater closed the gap to six with a 6-0 run to end the opening 10 minutes of play.
 
The home team continued rolling into the second quarter, scoring the first seven points and edging ahead 20-19 13 minutes into the contest. Freshman guard Haley Porter (Belmont, Ohio / Union Local) finally ended her team's offensive drought with a three-pointer that put the Jackets back ahead 21-20.
 
After seeing Bridgewater take the lead back and hold it for the majority of the remainder of the half, senior guard Julie Deklaven's (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton La Salle) three pointer moved Waynesburg ahead 31-29 with 1:50 showing on the clock. The Eagles tied the game back up 70 seconds later and went to the locker room knotted 31-31 with the Yellow Jackets.
 
The Jackets found themselves back in front 36-35 4:39 into the third quarter, but a 10-3 run by Bridgewater allowed it to take a 45-39 advantage with 2:29 left to play in the period. A pair of free throws from sophomore guard Andrea Orlosky (Shelocta, Pa. / West Shamokin) capped the scoring in the third and made the score 51-46 Bridgewater.
 
Bridgewater led for the entirety of the fourth quarter, but that doesn't mean it was an easy win for the home team. The Jackets pulled to within a single point of tying the game on multiple occasions, including a 66-65 score with 1:21 left to play in the evening. Unfortunately, the Eagles connected on four-of-six free throws down the stretch to close out the victory.
 
Orlosky, who is the current PAC Player of the Week, tied DeKlaven for the team lead with 17 points. DeKlaven did so with an extremely efficient offensive effort during which she knocked down six-of-eight field goal attempts, including five-of-seven from long range.
 
Senior point guard Monica Starre (Jewett, Ohio / Carrollton) recorded a double-double on 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. That number also marks the highest single-game total by a Waynesburg player this season.
 
The Jackets return to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse and PAC play on Wednesday, when they host Geneva. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.