The first time Waynesburg Yellow Jackets faced Washington and Jefferson Presidents, the Yellow Jackets had a rough second quarter and they were not able to answer back. The contest ended with the Presidents winning 80-54 at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.  

This past Saturday, the Yellow Jackets on a two-game winning streak after beating the Westminster Titans and the Saint Vincent Bearcats, faced the Presidents looking to keep their Presidents Athletic Conference playoff hopes alive.  

Washington & Jefferson 70 Waynesburg 53 

The Yellow Jackets would struggle in the first quarter offensively shooting 1 of 18 from the field and 0 of 9 from behind the arc. Waynesburg would only score a whopping three points in the opening quarter while giving up 20 points.  

“We could not get our shots to fall, and it was very frustrating,” junior post player Tori Wesolowski said.  

In the second quarter, Waynesburg had their offense pick up slightly as they would even the quarter scoring with the Presidents even though they would still be down 36-19 at the half. 

The Yellow Jackets shot 7 of 30 from the field, and 1 of 12 from behind the arc in the first half. Wesolowski led all Waynesburg scorers in the first half with six points followed by senior Madi Dayton and sophomore guard Mia Henkins with five points each.  

“We were a little bit more assertive on offense and took care of the ball a little bit better,” Yellow Jackets head coach Sam Jones said. “We took better care of the basketball. We were cleaner and more precise with the ball.”  

The Presidents continued to answer any scoring run by the Yellow Jackets in the third quarter as they would go on a 13-2 run after Waynesburg scored the first four points of the second half.  

However, the Yellow Jackets would finish the quarter on a 12-0 led by Dayton who had eight points in the quarter to cut the President’s lead to 49-36.  

Washington & Jefferson would put the game out of reach as sophomore Katie Kovalchick scored 11 of the Presidents’ 21 points in the quarter.  

Dayton led all scorers with 17 points, hitting 6 of 10 shots and five of six free throws. The only other Waynesburg player that reached double figures in scoring was Wesolowski with 14 points on the day. The Yellow Jackets would shoot an abysmal 28-percent from the field and 12-percent from the three-point line as the team would only hit three three-pointers for the entire game.  

“All of it comes down to shot making,” said Jones. “We fought and adjusted defensively and offensively. But we were 3 of 25 from the three-point line, even though I don’t feel like we took bad shots.” 

Waynesburg fell to 12-11 on the season, 7-11 in conference play and eliminated from the Presidents’ Athletic Conference playoffs. The team still has an opportunity to finish with an overall above .500 record this season for the first time since the 2017-18 season which was the last time Waynesburg had a winning record in conference play.  

“We made it our goal in the beginning of the season to make the playoffs but unfortunately, we fell short,” Wesolowski said. “We really gave it all we had and I’m really proud of the team we are and excited to see what the future holds.”  

The Yellow Jackets will be on the road for the final time this season on Wednesday, Feb.19 against the Franciscan Barons. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.