PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Women's Basketball (8-3, 1-2 PAC) picked up their first PAC victory of the season on Wednesday night with a 71-65 triumph over Waynesburg (5-7, 1-2).
 
Senior Alyssa Laukus netted 21 points on 7-12 shooting to lead all scorers, additionally accruing 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and 2 steals for the Cougars. Senior Madison Nereu recorded a double-double via 19 points on 7-17 from the field and a game-high 11 boards along with a game-high 4 steals. Seniors Maria Barela and Hannah Chenault buried a couple three-point baskets for Chatham and finished with 11 points, with Chenault adding 4 assists and Barela 3.
 
Two layups from Laukus and one from Nereu powered a 6-0 Cougar run at the end of the first quarter to break a 12-12 deadlock. An Emily Venick layup and Chenault triple put Chatham ahead 23-16, but the Yellow Jackets clawed back to within a point with two minutes to go before halftime. The teams traded baskets in the final minute to make the score 29-28 Cougars at the break.
 
Laukus made a basket plus the foul early in the third quarter, then buckets from Nereu and Maria Barela put Chatham ahead by 7. Erica Olszewski's jump shot would give the Cougars their largest advantage of the game at 45-33, but a 10-0 Waynesburg run brought the score within a point. Nereu's jumper to end the run gave her the 1,000^th point of her collegiate career, then a Chenault triple gave Chatham a 59-53 lead with five minutes remaining. The Yellow Jackets would cut their deficit to 4 with 45 seconds left, but Chenault and Laukus would hit their free throws to seal the win.
 
The Cougars shot 39.1 percent (25-64) for the game and knocked down 17 of their 23 free throw attempts. Waynesburg's 65 points were the second-most scored by a Chatham opponent this season, while its 50 rebounds were tied for the most against the Cougars this campaign.
 
Women's Basketball will look to secure back-to-back wins at the Athletic and Fitness Center on Saturday when they take on Thiel for the Pride Game at 12 p.m.