Women’s Basketball Rides Two Double Double Performances to Win
The Waynesburg women’s basketball team started 2017 with a disappointing 78-69 loss to Chatham at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Tuesday. However, it took fewer than 48 hours for the Jackets to bounce back, as they got a 74-64 victory at Westminster Saturday, Jan. 7.
“It was a big one,” said head coach Sam Jones on the triumph. “It was especially since we didn’t get the result we were hoping for on Thursday. Any conference win is an important win, and obviously, they are a little bit harder on the road, so it was good to get back.”
The Jackets were led by junior forward Addy Knetzer. The Chartiers-Houston alum posted 17 points to go along with 16 rebounds. Jones said it is a product of how hard Knetzer works.
“She’s done a nice job,” said Jones. “She’s our hardest worker by far. We have other hard workers, but [Knetzer’s] consistent pretty much every night, and she is constantly working to improve the weaknesses of her game.”
Knetzer wasn’t the only Jacket that controlled the boards, as sophomore point guard Monica Starre had a season-high 11 rebounds of her own.
“She’s a great rebounder,” said Jones. “She’s got a good nose for the ball, and she works hard.”
Although the point guards are not known as rebounding specialists, Jones was not surprised by Starre’s success on the glass.
Jones was impressed with Waynesburg’s rebounding output overall on Saturday, as the Jackets bested Westminster on the glass by a 16-rebound margin. However, Waynesburg did struggle with taking care of the basketball, as it turned the ball over 18 times, with 13 of those being in the second half
Although 18 seems like a high number, Jones thinks it was a little misleading.
“We took great care of the ball in the first half,” he said. “In the second half, we had a couple of unfortunate ones that were frustrating, but not upsetting. I think there were a few careless ones in there, but I thought we took care of the ball well in the first half.”
Waynesburg turned in a solid performance defensively, as it held the Titans to just 64 points. For Jones, the defensive side of Waynesburg’s game is still a work in progress.
“We’re working on it,” Jones. “I thought we did a much better job of defending the 3-point line in the second half, so I was pretty pleased with that.”
With the victory, Waynesburg moves to 8-5 on the season, and 4-2 in conference play, while Westminster falls to 5-8 overall, and 0-6 in the PAC.
Waynesburg’s next contest comes Wednesday, Jan. 11, when it visits undefeated and No. 6 Thomas More. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.