Lions Return Favor To Waynesburg; Behrend Advances to ECAC Semifinals

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Brittany Wilwohl (Erie, PA/Villa Maria Academy) scored a game-high 22 points, including six of those points in the final minute of the game to help No. 6 Penn State Behrend hold off No. 3 Waynesburg 63-59 in the first round of the ECAC South Region Tournament on Wednesday night.

Wilwohl went 8-for-11 from the charity stripe and handed out four assists, keeping the Lions (22-5) hopes alive for a third ECAC title. Behrend will travel to second-seed Moravian to take on the Greyhounds in the semifinals on Saturday.

Holly Bourquin (Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel) put up 16 points for her 21^st double-figure scoring performance, while Emily Detsch (St. Marys, PA/Elk County Catholic) was one point and one rebound away from her first double-double with nine and nine.

The Yellow Jackets (20-8) had four players in double figures, led by Hannah Hunter with 18 points.

Hunter got Waynesburg off to a quick lead with eight points in the first five minutes for a 14-4 advantage.  Jessi Drayer made it a 12-point game on the next basket, but Behrend scored 10 unanswered points to pull within two.

Back-to-back layups from Bourquin, one off a steal from Kimmy Pol (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy), made it 22-20 in the Lions favor. After going up seven with 2:20 left, Behrend took a three-point lead into the locker room.

The Lions stayed out front in the second half, until five straight points from Drayer cut the lead to 39-38. Bourquin and Wilwohl netted four points each, while Detsch scored three including the free-throw that gave Behrend a double-digit lead.

Waynesburg chipped away at the lead in the final 3:51 of the game, getting within three under a minute to play but Detsch drained a layup and Wiwohl was a perfect 4-for-4 to clinch the victory.