WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 20) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team posted a near wire-to-wire 70-63 win over Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foe Bethany on Saturday afternoon at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

The Yellow Jackets (4-12, 3-9) used a 9-2 first-quarter run to hold a 19-9 lead with 36 seconds left in the quarter. The Bison (9-9, 7-6) pieced together a 6-0 run to get within 4 (19-15) early in the second quarter. The Jackets responded with a 9-2 run over the next 3:11 to hold a 28-17 lead, their largest of the afternoon.

The Bison cut the deficit to 30-29 with 22 seconds left in the half, but a Kayla Howard (McDonald, Pa. / West Allegheny) buzzer-beating layup gave the Jackets a 32-29 lead heading into the break.

Howard posted her first collegiate double-double with a team-best-tying 15 points on 7-of-11 from the field to go with a game and career-best 11 rebounds. She added two blocks and an assist in the win.

Both sides played the third quarter evenly at 16 as Waynesburg took a 48-45 lead into the final quarter.

Mia Henkins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) drained a left-corner 3-pointer to extend Waynesburg's lead to 6 with 9:21 left in the game. After a Bison layup, Kalista Friday (Woodsfield, Ohio / Monroe Central) went on a 5-0 run of her own, connecting on a left-wing 3-pointer and hitting a fast-break floater in the paint to force a Bethany timeout with 8:13 showing on the clock.

Friday notched a solid all-around performance with a team-best-tying 15 points, 9 of which came in the fourth quarter, along with six rebounds. She also tied for the game lead in blocks (2) and steals (2).

Leading 62-57 with 1:05 left in the game, Marley Wolf (Ellwood City, Pa. / Riverside) hit a dagger 3-pointer to put the Jackets back up by 8. Waynesburg added five free throws down the stretch to fend off Bethany's comeback effort and seal the 70-63 win.

Multi-sport athlete Julz Mohrbacher (Freedom, Pa. / Freedom) posted another solid performance for the Jackets with 14 points on 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-5 at the line. She added four rebounds and a game-high-tying two blocks.

The Yellow Jackets return to action next Monday for a 6:30 p.m. road non-conference matchup with The College of Wooster.