Waynesburg Edges Presidents In Regular-Season Finale
WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- Hannah Hunter's late three-pointer proved to be the difference as Waynesburg pulled out a 59-57 victory over Washington & Jefferson College in PAC women's hoops action at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
Senior forward Ashley Kirkpatrick (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) knotted the game at 53 by sinking a layup with 1:24 remaining. After a timeout, Paige Pearce found Hunter, who connected on her second triple of the game to give the Yellow Jackets a 56-53 edge.
Kirkpatrick then responded with another layup for the Presidents (12-13, 7-11) with 36 seconds to go. After Pearce made 1-of-2 free throws, making the score 57-55, W&J had a chance to tie or take the lead; however, Jessi Drayer came up with a steal for Waynesburg. Elaine Hasek sealed the victory by draining a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining.
W&J concludes its regular season in seventh place in the PAC standings and will face the second-seeded Saint Vincent in Tuesday's PAC Tournament quarterfinals in Latrobe (6:00 pm). The Bearcats routed Bethany 103-50 this afternoon.
Kirkpatrick posted her fourth double-double in the last five games with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Senior Vanessa Rivera (Reading, Pa./Wilson) paced W&J 19 points and eight assists. She also added seven rebounds and one steal.
The Presidents held a 45-37 advantage on the boards and shot 36.7 percent (22-60) from the field, compared to 34.5 (20-58) for the Yellow Jackets, but connected on just 2-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc.
Drayer scored a team-leading 16 points off the bench for Waynesburg, while Hunter added 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Brittany Spencer contributed 11 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
