Box Score
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 23) – The crowd at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse erupted as junior forward Elisha Jones exploded up through several Chatham defenders and connected on a lay-up with 17 seconds showing on the clock. That shot, along with the ensuing free throw, clinched a 65-62 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) win for Waynesburg over the Cougars on Saturday.
The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for Yellow Jackets (6-11, 3-5) and also avenged a 47-43 loss to the Cougars (7-9, 2-6) earlier this season.
The contest was an exciting one as both teams went back and forth, trading scoring runs and the lead on multiple occasions. One of those runs came early in the first half with Waynesburg trailing 12-9. The Jackets countered by recording eight points in a row and taking a 17-12 advantage with 10:32 to go in the half.
Chatham promptly responded with a 11-0 run to take a 23-17 lead. But, once again, the Jackets were up to the challenge and took a 25-23 edge with an 8-0 run that ended with 2:31 to go. The two teams played evenly down the stretch as Waynesburg held a 31-29 advantage at halftime.
The excitement continued into the second half as Chatham used 21-14 charge through the first seven-plus minutes of play to open up a five-point advantage (50-45). Waynesburg was able to tie the game back up at 52-52 with a 7-2 run that concluded with 8:13 to go.
Momentum swung again into Chatham’s favor with a 10-3 spurt that put the Cougars up 62-55 with 3:48 showing on the clock. However, Waynesburg wasn’t ready to concede defeat.
The final scoring surge of the contest came from the home team, which went on a game-ending 10-0 run, capped by Jones’ thrilling put back off of a missed jumper by freshman forward Brittany Spencer.
Chatham had two good looks as time expired to tie the game and send it to overtime, but both tries from downtown clanged off the rim.
Not only did Jones hit the biggest shot of the game, she also led all scorers with 16 points on six-of-10 shooting. Joining her as a double-digit scorer for Waynesburg were Spencer (13) and reserve freshman forward Paige Pearce (10). Spencer also recorded a game-high seven rebounds in the victory. Senior point guard Kristen Lucci had a solid all-around effort with seven points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Four Chatham players reached double digits in scoring. Junior Barb Petty led the Cougars with 13 points, a game-high six assists and five rebounds. All told, there were 13 lead changes and 11 ties in the contest.
Waynesburg will try to keep the winning going when they travel to Bethany to face the Bison in a PAC contest scheduled for Jan. 27. The Jackets downed the Green and White 60-58 back on Dec. 5.