Rough first in third quarters result in Jacket’s loss in Chatham rematch

Almost two months ago in Pittsburgh, the Waynesburg University women’s basketball team lost its fourth  conference game in a row to Chatham, .  71-54. 

“While our energy and passion are always there, playing against a team like Chatham and how they play defense makes it difficult to score,” said Yellow Jackets forward Clara-Paige Miller. 

Fast forward to Jan. 29, the Yellow Jackets were emerging from a huge win againstGeneva on Jan. 25.  It was followed up by an 84-59 loss in the  rematch against Chatham. 

Right from the opening tip,the Cougars made it hard for the Yellow Jackets offensively. Waynesburg University would only score nine points in the opening quarter to Chatham’s 21 while turning the ball over five times. 

In the second quarter, Waynesburg University would make an attempt to get back in the game, as the ultimate score 12-11 Chatham in the period. The Yellow Jackets  were still  down 33-20 at the half.

The Yellow Jackets would shoot 7 for 25 from the field and 3/12 from behind the arc in the first half while committing 14 turnovers. Junior center Tori Wesolowski would lead all Waynesburg University scorers in the first half with six points, followed by sophomore guard Kalista Friday, who had five points. 

“We had some early turnovers that led to easy shots for them,” Yellow Jackets head coach Sam Jones said. “In the second quarter, we executed better defensively, forcing them into more contested shots instead of wide-open shots. Then, we knocked a couple of shots down ourselves to build up our confidence.” 

The Yellow Jackets would start fast in the first three minutes of the third quarter, going on a 5-0 run. However, the Cougars then proceeded to extend their lead up to 22 points by the end, going on a 25-11 run in the final seven minutes to go up 58-36 going into the fourth quarter. 

Waynesburg University would have their best offensive quarter of the night in the fourth, scoring 23 points on 6 of 16 shooting and 5 for 10 from the three-point line. It wasto no avail, as Chatham would score 26 points in the final period to seal the Cougars’ 13th win of the season and 11th in conference play. 

Wesolowski and freshman Macie Justice led all Waynesburg University scorers with 12 points, hitting 9 of 18 shots combined from the field . The Yellow Jackets would also finish the game with 22 turnovers, which led to 27 points for the Cougars. 

“We came out focused and strong and went on a little run to start,”  Jones said. “Then, we had some really bad turnovers, which led to easy hoops. And  lost our attention to detail, and to Chatham’s credit, once they got on a roll, it was pretty hard to stop.”

Waynesburg University fell to 10-9 on the season and 5-9 in conference play to remain in the eighth seed and two and a half games behind Bethany, which holds the final playoff spot.  Their final six games feature three more teams that are at the top of the conference: Allegheny, Washington & Jefferson, & Saint Vincent. 

A tough road matchup is next for Waynesburg University on Saturday, Feb. 1 against the Allegheny  Gators. 

“For our game on Saturday, I think it’s really important that we come out with energy and focus,”  Wesolowski said. “Last game we had a difficult time stopping their guards, but with all of the work we’ve put into the defensive part of the game, I think we can hold them.”

Tipoff in Allegheny is scheduled for 1 p.m.