Waynesburg knocked out of PAC women’s tournament
NEW WILMINGTON – Jackie Mathews and Kayla Bennett each scored 18 points and Westminster overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to storm past Waynesburg for an 88-80 victory Monday night in the opening round of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament.
Waynesburg, the No. 7 seed in the tournament, ends its season with an 8-18 record. Westminster (9-17), the No. 6 seed, advances to the quarterfinals Wednesday at Grove City.
The Yellow Jackets, behind 14 points from Andrea Orlosky, forged a 36-27 lead at halftime. Westminster, however, scored 61 points in the second half, including 35 in the fourth quarter. The Titans took the lead by outscoring Waynesburg 26-14 in the pivotal third quarter for a 53-50 lead.
Westminster made 11 three-pointers, including eight in the second half when the Titans shot 58 percent from the field.
Magen Polczynski scored 17 points and Emily Fromknecht had 13 to give Westminster four players in double figures.
Orlosky finished with 21 points and shared game scoring honors with teammate Monica Starre. Orlosky also had a game-high 12 rebounds. Both Orlosky and Starre fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Haley Porter had 14 points for the Yellow Jackets.
The PAC men’s tournament begins tonight with four quarterfinal games. Waynesburg (8-17), the No. 6 seed, will play at No. 3 seed Westminster (11-14). Washington & Jefferson (10-15), the No. 5 seed plays at fourth-seeded Chatham (16-9). Both games start at 7 p.m.
The men’s semifinals will be played Thursday night. The women’s semifinals are Friday at Saint Vincent. The second-seeded W&J women received a double bye into the semifinals.