WASHINGTON, Pa. (Feb. 12) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team traveled north up Interstate 79 on Wednesday evening for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown with Washington & Jefferson. The Yellow Jackets built a five-point halftime lead against one of the conference's top teams, but couldn't maintain their advantage, as they fell 76-59.

After the Presidents (15-7, 10-4) opened the scoring with a three-pointer, Waynesburg (5-17, 4-9) rebounded nicely with a 15-4 run that gave the visiting team a 15-7 lead with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter. Though the host squad outscored the Orange and Black 7-2 over the remainder of the period, the Jackets were still able to take a 17-14 edge into quarter number two.

W&J opened the second 10 minutes of action with a 6-2 surge that put it back in the lead at 20-19. The two teams traded the next handful of baskets, and leads, before the Yellow Jackets ended the first half on a 7-0 run that allowed them to take a 33-28 advantage into halftime. Freshman Brianna Hoopes (Alliance, Ohio / Marlington) tallied five of those points over the final two minutes of the quarter.

W&J opened the second half by scoring the first six points and grabbing a 34-33 edge. Following a layup by junior Andrea Orlosky (Shelocta, Pa. / West Shamokin) that briefly gave Waynesburg the lead back at 35-34, the Presidents put themselves back up at 36-35. Orlosky struck again for another go-ahead bucket, but unfortunately, the host team exploded for a 14-2 run that ultimately decided the night's final outcome. 

By the time the final buzzer of the third quarter was sounded, W&J was on top by a 55-46 score. It never trailed for the remainder of the game.

Waynesburg was led offensively by sophomore center Brooke Fuller (Allilson Park, Pa. / Hampton), who tallied a team-high 14 points on six-of-12 shooting. She also blocked a pair of shots on the defensive side. 

Senior Alli Delaney (Belmont, Ohio / Union Local) chipped in 13 points, nine of which came on a squad-best three three-pointers. Orlosky helped out with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. It was her second-straight double-double of the season and fifth overall of the 2019-2020 campaign.

Senior Erin Joyce (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Bishop Canevin) posted squad-best marks in both assists (five) and steals (three).

The Jackets will need to put Wednesday's loss behind them quickly as they prepare for another matchup with one of the PAC's top teams on Saturday. Waynesburg welcomes Saint Vincent to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse this weekend for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff.