WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 3) - The Waynesburg University women's basketball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play by hosting Franciscan on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets bounced back from an early challenge by the Barons to score the 78-59 victory.
 
Four different Yellow Jackets (3-4, 1-0) scored to give the home team an 8-3 edge after five minutes of action. Franciscan (3-7, 0-1) rebounded in a big way by going off on a 23-0 run that stretched from the first to the second quarter.
 
Despite trailing 26-8, the Jackets didn't panic and instead turned to their veteran leaders for an impressive surge of their own. After senior Clara Paige Miller (Waynesburg, Pa. / Waynesburg Central) stopped the bleeding with a three pointer, the home team proceeded to close out the half with a 23-0 run of its own.
 
After a trey by senior Kalista Friday (Woodsfield, Ohio / Monroe Central) found the bottom of the net with a minute left to play in the quarter, the Jackets found themselves ahead 31-26, which was also the tally at halftime.
 
A trip to the locker room did nothing to slow the home team's momentum, as its run stretched to 34 unanswered points, before a layup by Franciscan made the score 42-28. The two teams played the final 3:44 evenly before the conclusion of the quarter. Heading into the final 10 minutes of competition, Waynesburg led 48-33.
 
The Jackets pulled away in the fourth period by building leads as large as 26 points, before closing out their second-straight victory.
 
Balance on offense was the key to Waynesburg's latest victory. Friday led a group of five double-digit scorers with a team-high 15 points, nine of which came on three made three pointers on four attempts. She completed a double-double with 11 rebounds, while also adding four assists and five steals to a highly productive evening.
 
Speaking of double-doubles, Miller posted her own on 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Junior guard Mia Henkins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) added 12 points of her own, as did junior guard Kara McFadden (Painesville, Ohio / Fairport Harding).
 
Junior forward Julz Mohrbacher (Freedom, Pa. / Freedom) led all Waynesburg reserves with 12 points and eight rebounds in her first game after playing a major role in perhaps the finest women's soccer season in Waynesburg history.
 
The Orange and Black dominated the glass to the tune of a 55-40 advantage in rebounding.
 
The Jackets are back in action on Saturday, when they host Saint Vincent for another PAC showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.