Women’s Basketball earns second win in one-point thriller 60-59 over St. Vincent

It only takes one point to decide a game.

That’s all the Waynesburg University women’s basketball team needed to beat Saint Vincent at home on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Bearcats in a 60-59 thriller at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. 

The game initially appeared to be heavily in Waynesburg’s favor, as the Lady J’s got off to a hot start to lead the game 23-11 at the end of the first quarter. 

This included seven straight points before Saint Vincent was able to answer.

The second quarter saw the Yellow Jackets grab a number of offensive rebounds, but they were unable to capitalize on second-chance point opportunities. This allowed the Bearcats to narrow the deficit to just six points by halftime with a score of 36-26.

Saint Vincent showed they were still in the game throughout the third quarter, narrowing the lead to just two points at four minutes in, and taking the lead two minutes later. 

Waynesburg retook the lead by the end of the third, but only by a slim 48-45 margin.

The fourth and final quarter started off back and forth, with Saint Vincent taking the lead multiple times. The Bearcats led by three points before a stretch of no scoring for several minutes, remaining 59-56 in that time.

This dry spell was broken by junior guard Anika Dansby to pull the game within one for the Yellow Jackets, and senior center Brooke Fuller scored the game winning basket with 27.8 seconds left in the game. 

The Waynesburg defense held on to win 60-59, ending their seven-game losing streak.

“It feels great,” Head Coach Sam Jones said. “The girls were super awesome. They held their composure in a very tight fourth quarter, and I was really, really proud of them.” 

Freshman forward Madison Dayton had a standout night, scoring a career-high 16 points, making six of her nine shots, including making her only three-point attempt of the game. 

She also grabbed six rebounds on the offensive glass.

“I don’t really check on my stats,” Dayton said. “ It’s not something I look at, but it’s exciting to start feeling like you’re getting used to the game at a college level.” 

The Lady J’s next game is on the road at Franciscan against the Barons, the team they got their first win against this season, on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. in Steubenville, Ohio.