Dec 4, 2013 By The 3 min read

The Waynesburg women built a 19-point lead at halftime Wednesday night, and then held off visiting Bethany (W.Va.) for a victory in the PAC basketball opener for both teams.

Elaine Hasek finished with a double-double for the Yellow Jackets with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Lauren Blair scored 13 points for the Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-4). Courtney Sargent had 12, and Katie Gehlmann added 10.

The Bison (0-1, 1-3) had only one player in double figures with Taylor Verrico finishing with 13. Verrico finished with a double-double, grabbing 14 rebounds.

Both teams had trouble shooting from the field. Bethany shot 28.8 percent (19-of-66) and Waynesburg was 33.8 percent (25-of-74). The Bison made just 2-of-21 3-point goals, while the Yellow Jackets were slightly better at 22.7 percent (5-of-22).

California (Pa.) 71, Mercyhurst 66 — The Vulcans held a slim one-point lead and managed to outscore the Lakers by just enough in the final 20 minutes for a PSAC-West road victory.

California held a 42-38 margin in the second half to hold on for the win.

Elena Antonenko and Kaitlynn Fratz shared scoring honors for the Vulcans (2-1, 2-4) with 15 points apiece. Emma Mahady added 14.

Alex Artise also scored 15 points for the Lakers (1-1, 1-5). Adrienne Kloecker and Natalie Piaggesi both finished with 11 points, and Jessica Bell and Katie Fischer added 10 apiece.

Men’s basketball

Bethany (W.Va.) 68, Waynesburg 65 — The Yellow Jackets weren’t able to make a 34-33 halftime lead stand, dropping their PAC opener on the road to the Bison.

Bethany (1-0, 5-0) outscored Waynesburg in the second half, 35-31.

Bethany held the advantage in field goals (26-20), but the Yellow Jackets outscored the Bison at the foul line, 21-14.

Jacob Fleegle led Waynesburg (0-1, 4-3) with 12 points. Kenny Klase added 10 points.

Lawrence Weldon and Kevin Jackson shared game-scoring honors for Bethany with 15 apiece. The starting five all finished in double figures, with Delonte Joyce scoring 14 and Tyrone Smothers and Leslie Addy adding 11 points each. Jackson grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Mercyhurst 64, California (Pa.) 51 — The Lakers led by 12 at halftime, finishing off the visiting Vulcans in the second half for a PSAC-West victory.

The game featured a total of 40 personal fouls, 20 on each team, called.

Tynell Fortune and Chris Williams shared scoring honors for the Vulcans (0-3, 1-6) with 11 points apiece.

Jonathan Ouegnin scored a game-high 19 points for the Lakers (2-0, 3-3), with Anthony Lytle finishing with 11 and Callon Dailey adding 10.