Lions Open Season With Win Over Waynesburg

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's basketball team opened the 2015-16 season with a 60-50 win over Waynesburg in non-conference action on Tuesday night.

The Lions (1-0) outscored the Yellow Jackets (0-1) 27-18 in the fourth quarter thanks to Erika Woll (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst) going 4-for-4 from the field to score nine of her 11 points and lift Behrend to the season-opening victory.

Heidi Langhorst (Corapolis, PA/Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and Dani Reinwald (Clymer, NY/Clymer Central) made the most of their collegiate debut. Langhorts had a team-high 14 points and added seven rebounds, while Reinwald posted her first double-double with 13 points and 14 boards. The newcomer also added two steals and one block.

Waynesburg was led by Heather Davis with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

After the first two quarters, the Lions found themselves down just one point after falling to a six-point deficit in the first quarter. Behrend needed the first quarter to warm up and then outscored the Yellow Jackets in the remaining three quarters.

The largest gap between the two teams in the second and third quarters was four points. The Lions pulled away in the fourth quarter, taking the lead for good off Woll's only triple of the night at 42-40 with 7:24 left to play.

That three-pointer started a 17-0 run by Behrend to push the lead to 56-40 after a pair of free throws by Reinwald at the 3:07 mark.

A small 7-2 spurt by Waynesburg cut the lead to 59-50 but it wasn't enough to overcome the large deficit.

Kaitlin Thomas (Belle Vernon, PA/Belle Vernon) was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe for the Lions in the final 18 seconds to secure the season-opening win for head coach Christine Slater.

Behrend returns to action on Friday to take on Hiram in the opening round of the Lions Tip-Off Tournament. Game time is 6 p.m.