WAYNESBURG, Pennsylvania - December 30, 2024 - A career day for Isabella Caceres and a strong effort from the Hiram bench wasn't enough for a win on Monday afternoon, as the Terriers lost to Waynesburg, 75-60, in their return to action at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

Caceres tallied a career-high 16 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, while also adding six rebounds and four assists over 35 minutes of action. Brooke Hickman notched her sixth double-double of the season (14 Pts, 12 Reb) and the bench duo of Anastasia Lawler and Jo Janda each totaled 9 points.

Hiram turned a 17-point deficit early in the second quarter into just a 2-point margin just before the intermission, but the Yellow Jackets had a 45-point second half to secure the victory. The next time the two teams meet will be in 2025-26, when both teams will be PAC rivals.

The pace of the game proved to be the difference, with the Yellow Jackets winning the head-to-head matchup in fast-break points, 18-7. Waynesburg also held a big advantage in offensive rebounds (19-12), which led to 17 second-chance points for the opposition.

The Terriers made their move in the second quarter; Waynesburg scored the first 12 points of the period to take a 27-10 lead before Hiram stormed back and made it a one-possession game at halftime. Hickman had 6 points over the final 6:48 in the period to go along with a pair of key 3-pointers from Lawler and Sarah Seaman.

Waynesburg led 30-28 through the first half.

The Yellow Jackets featured a balanced offense the rest of the way, with seven different student-athletes registering at least 6 points in the game. Caceres had 10 points in the second half alone – which included 3 3-pointers – but Waynesburg pulled away in the fourth quarter to hold on for the victory in a game that was much closer than the final score would indicate.

Hiram will now turn its attention to NCAC competition; the team's second conference game of the season will be on Saturday, when it hosts DePauw at 1 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium in Hiram, Ohio.