WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 5) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team hosted Chatham for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets battled back from a sizeable early deficit, but couldn't complete the comeback in a 63-52 loss.
Chatham (13-5, 7-4) built a 20-9 lead after one quarter of play and saw that advantage grow to 37-17 after six minutes of action in the second. However, Waynesburg (4-15, 4-9) closed the first half on a 12-0 run that cut the deficit all the way down to just eight points (37-29) by halftime. Sophomore guard
Marley Wolf (Ellwood City, Pa. / Riverside), freshman forward
Madisen Dayton (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Calvary Christian Academy), senior center
Brooke Fuller (Allison Park, Pa. / Hampton) and senior guard
Kacey Kastroll (South Park, Pa. / South Park) all contributed to the surge.
A pair of Kastroll free throws stretched the run to 14-0 as the third quarter got underway and Waynesburg trailed by just six at 37-31. Unfortunately, Chatham not only broke out of its funk, but it tallied 13 of the next 17 points to build a 50-35 advantage.
Momentum took another big swing in Waynesburg's favor, as the Jackets ended the period on a 12-2 run. Sophomore guard
Avery Robinson's (Ravenna, Ohio / Ravenna) three-pointer had Waynesburg within just five of tying the score at 52-47.
Both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm over the final 10 minutes of play. While the Jackets held up defensively, giving up just 11 points, the Waynesburg offense tallied just five points of its own, as Chatham escaped the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse with the win.
Fuller led Waynesburg with team highs in both points (15) and rebounds (nine) on the day. Dayton came off the bench to record 11 points and seven boards, while Kastroll dished out a game-high five assists to go along with seven points and seven rebounds.
The Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when they travel to Washington & Jefferson to face the PAC-leading Presidents. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
