By Seth Evans

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 19) – The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team hosted its penultimate game of the season at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse Wednesday night as they played host to Franciscan University in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference matchup, falling 64-52 to the Barons. 

A fairly tight first quarter to start, as Franciscan only held a three point lead. The tide shifted in the second quarter, when Franciscan outscored Waynesburg 19-10, making the score 31-19 at halftime. 

The game was already decided when fourth quarter came around, despite Waynesburg outsourcing Franciscan 17-13 in the finale frame.

When it came to the noticeable change in efficiency in the fourth quarter compared to the rest of the game, head coach Sam Jones was fairly blunt regarding his girls’ play. 

“I felt like we played with less urgency and passed up some open shots early on,” Jones said. 

Despite the loss, the Jackets did show some impressive performances throughout the contest. Junior Marley Wolf nearly pulled off an impressive double-double, scoring a game high 17 points and putting up nine boards, along with three steals, an assist, and shooting over 66 percent from three on the evening. 

Just as before, Jones was very quick and definitive when regarding Wolf’s play. “Wolf has always played hard and has a motor that just keeps going,” Jones said. “That is just who she is.”

The Yellow Jackets have one final game on the slate, a trip to Allegheny College on Saturday, Feb. 18. With a date set against a team ready to do some damage in the PAC playoffs, Jones seems to be taking the approach of using this as a building opportunity for the upcoming season. 

“While this year has certainly not been what we had planned, I am excited about the growth we have had, especially in the last month,” Jones said. “So we go into tomorrow looking to win and continue our growth and set the tone for our off season and into next year.”