GROVE CITY, Pa. (Feb. 3) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team tipped off the 2020-21 season Wednesday night with a road game against the defending Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) champions from Grove City. Despite playing with just seven active team members, the Yellow Jackets were able to give the defending champs a fight before ultimately falling 67-51.
 
Senior Andrea Orlosky (Shelocta, Pa./West Shamokin) led the charge with a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds for the Jackets (0-1, 0-1). First-year junior forward Abigail Green (Forestville, Pa. / Portersville Christian School) made a great first impression on her teammates by logging a double-double on 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Marley Wolf (Ellwood City, Pa. / Riverside) knocked down a pair of three-pointers to fuel an 11-point showing off the bench.
 
Waynesburg got off to a solid start with Orlosky connecting on the game's first two field goals to give the visiting squad a 4-0 lead. Unfortunately, Grove City (1-0, 1-0), which was also celebrating senior night, responded with a 14-0 run and never trailed for the remainder of the evening. A back-and-forth first quarter saw Waynesburg tally the final six points of the opening period to pull to within four (14-10).
 
Unfortunately, the second quarter belonged to the host squad, which outscored the Orange and Black 17-7 on its way to a 31-17 halftime lead. The Jackets outscored the Wolverines 13-11 in the third quarter to trim the deficit to 42-30, but GCC closed things out with a 25-point fourth period.
 
Both teams showed their rust by committing a combined 46 turnovers, 26 of which were coughed up by Waynesburg. Grove City's 53-39 advantage in rebounding also played a big role in the night's final outcome.
 
Despite the setback on the scoreboard, Waynesburg head coach Sam Jones saw a lot of positives in Wednesday night's opener. The first came when the ball was thrown up on the opening tip.
 
"First of all, I am just super grateful for the opportunity to actually get on the court and play an opponent," Jones said. "Secondly, I was incredibly proud of our effort. We battled all night and had a bunch of players making their collegiate debuts. If we can play with that effort and clean up a few things, we could take a big step forward. I'm excited to get back at it."
 
The Yellow Jackets will play their second-straight road game to open their schedule Saturday when they head to Westminster. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.