
In conference action, Waynesburg University’s women’s basketball team improved their winning streak to three victories with a final score of 84-66 over Thiel.
In the game against Thiel on Saturday, Jan. 27, the Jackets also managed to out-rebound the Tomcats 47-26.
Outside of the contents of the game, it was a historic game for individual players on both teams. For Thiel, junior guard Jess Vormelker scored her 1,000th career point. For Waynesburg, senior Addy Knetzer became the all-time leading rebounder in Waynesburg history and moved into second all-time in scoring for the Yellow Jackets. Knetzer also led the team in scoring, with 19 points during the game.
The Yellow Jackets shot 49 percent from the floor, and six players finished scoring in double-digits. Head coach Sam Jones said the team excelled in working together and in defensive efforts.
“We did a really nice job rebounding, we only allowed them to get three offensive rebounds and we did well shooting the ball too,” said Jones. “We shared the ball well, we had six kids in double figures. So, overall, I was very happy.”
Sophomore guard Erin Joyce got her second start of the season and she made the best of it, finishing with 17 points. Also, fifteen of her points came from the five 3-point shots she scored. Jones said he was impressed by Joyce’s performance.
“She did a nice job for us,” he said. “She played a lot of minutes and obviously she hit some shots and stuff like that, which gave us a nice boost of energy and opened up the rest of the floor with her shooting.”
The Yellow Jackets are currently in fifth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, but for Jones, there is still work to do.
“We need more consistency game-to-game with our focus and attention to detail,” said Jones. “More so on the defensive end, more times we will forget little details that we work on, which will cost us some hoops.”
Jones said he isn’t focusing on the PAC playoffs just yet, instead he wants to emphasize consistency of play.
“I hope that we are just playing at a high level with consistency of focus,” he said. “I am not too worried about placement right now. Obviously, I would like to be sitting different then we are now, and we will need some help to get where we want to get, but I am really just more concerned with how we are playing. At some point, you have to beat everyone anyways in the playoffs. I want to be on a consistent level when we get to the playoffs.”
Waynesburg played Wednesday past publication at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse against Saint Vincent, who is currently in second in the PAC. Next, the Yellow Jackets will face Westminster on Saturday, Feb. 3.