Waynesburg University Wins ECAC South Women's Basketball Championship
(Courtesy of Waynesburg Sports Information)
The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team certainly made the most of its first run in an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament this past week.
After taking down eighth-seeded Moravian 68-62 on Wednesday and fourth-seeded Penn State Behrend 73-59 on Saturday, the top-seeded Yellow Jackets met up with second-seeded Catholic University of America on Sunday to determine who would be the 2011 ECAC South women’s champion. Both teams played exceptionally well and battled back-and-forth through 40 electric minutes of action. Finally, when the last buzzer went off, Waynesburg was able to celebrate its first ECAC South title with a 67-63 win over the Cardinals.
Playing on their home court at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse, the Jackets (21-9) matched the program’s record for wins in a season. The last team to win 21 games was the 1994-95 squad. However, after a red-hot start by Catholic, it looked like they would get to cut down the nets at the Jackets’ home gym.
The Cardinals (19-10) raced out to a 13-2 lead over the first five-plus minutes of play after connecting on six of their first nine tries from the floor. Waynesburg was finally able to slow down Catholic and fight its way back into the contest by out-scoring the Cardinals 18-5 over the next five-and-a-half minutes of play and building a 20-18 advantage.
Catholic regained the lead momentarily at 21-20, but another Jacket surge, a 13-4 run, put Waynesburg firmly in the driver’s seat of the game at 33-25 with 4:44 remaining until halftime. Following the scoring outburst by the home team, the Cardinals showed their spirit by pulling to within just one (39-38) by the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms.
Things started out well for the eventual champions in the second half as they were able to move ahead of the opposition by eight points (50-42) with 12:49 remaining in the game. However, that lead proved to be fleeting thanks to a big run by Catholic. The Cardinals scored the game’s next nine points to post a 51-50 lead and set up a battle for the title over the final 9:40 seconds of action.
With Catholic leading 55-54 and 6:46 showing on the clock, the Jackets got back-to-back baskets from senior forward Elisha Jones and junior point guard Hannah Hunter to grab a 58-55 lead. Waynesburg never trailed for the rest of the contest, but the final outcome of the day wasn’t secured until Hunter knocked down two free throws with seven seconds remaining. Catholic took one last shot at staving off defeat, but a missed layup a few seconds later set off an ecstatic celebration by the victors at center court.
Waynesburg head coach Sam Jones, who has led his team to improved win totals and better performances in the postseason in each of his three years with the Yellow Jackets, reflected on his team’s winning performance.
“We did what we did all year long. We came out of the gate struggling, got our heads about us and turned it on,” Jones said. “The girls played great. I couldn’t be prouder of their efforts.”
Elisha Jones went out with a bang in her final collegiate game. She was one of four Jackets to reach double digits in scoring with 15 points. She added two rebounds, three blocks and two steals to her day, and was named MVP of the championship game.
The Russell, Pa. native ended one of the finest careers in the history of the program on Sunday. She is a four-time All-PAC selection, including a first-team pick this year, and has racked up 1,372 career points. Jones has also pulled down 621 rebounds, blocked 150 shots and is a career 41 percent shooter.
“As a player, she speaks for herself. She is outstanding,” Sam Jones said. “Some players leave your program and you’re sad and try to replace them, but it is going to be incredibly hard to replace her performance and her leadership. The only way my experience with Elisha could have been better would be to coach her for four years instead of three.”
Hunter led all Waynesburg players with a team-high 16 points and a contest-best seven steals. Sophomore guard Jessi Drayer added 15 points to the win and dished out a game-high four assists. Another sophomore guard, Brittany Spencer, recorded her second-straight double-double of the tournament with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
While both teams performed solidly from the floor, the difference proved to be an aggressive Waynesburg defense, which forced 24 turnovers, including 19 steals. The Jackets were also exceptionally efficient at the free throw line, knocking down 11-of-12 tries (92 percent).
With the nets cut down in celebration at the Marisa Fieldhouse, the 2010-11 season has come to an end. It will be remembered as one of the most successful in Waynesburg women’s basketball history. After being picked to finish seventh in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC), the Yellow Jackets improved from nine wins in 2009-10, to 21 this winter, finished the regular season as the third-place team in the PAC standings and won their first conference playoff game since 2005-06. Their 3-0 run through the ECAC South tournament was also the team’s first appearance in the event.
“I think we had a change of attitude in a few people,” Sam Jones said. “We started to believe more in what we did. You win a few games and all of a sudden you believe a little more. I’ll always remember this team for its sacrifice and its hard work. They were dedicated to turning around the women’s basketball program at Waynesburg.”
Schedule:
Quarterfinal
Round – Wednesday, March 2
No 1 Waynesburg defeated No. 8 Moravian,
68-62: Box Score l Game Recap
No. 2 Catholic University defeated No. 7 Wesley College,
73-55: Box Score
No. 6 Alvernia defeated No. 3 Gwynedd-Mercy,
58-45: Box Score l Game Recap
No. 4 Penn State-Behrend defeated No. 5 Marywood,
68-65: Box Score
Semifinal Round
– Saturday, March 5 (at Waynesburg)
No. 1 Waynesburg defeated 4 Penn State Behrend,
73-59: Box Score | Game Recap
No. 2 Catholic defeated No. 6 Alvernia,
64-52: Box Score | Game Recap
Championship
Game – Sunday, March 6 (at Waynesburg)
No. 1 Waynesburg defeated No. 2 Catholic University,
67-63: Box Score | Game Recap
