Duquesne basketball, Temple gymnastics teams stuck in blizzard

The Duquesnemen's basketball team and the Temple women's gymnastics team are still looking to get home after being stranded in traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike overnight because of the blizzard affecting the eastern United States.

The Dukes were traveling home to Pittsburgh from Fairfax, Virginia, after their 86-75 victory against George Masonon Friday. The team, which departed Fairfax at 4:30 p.m., is stuck on a stretch between Bedford and Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Duquesne coach Jim Ferry, who won his 300th game Friday, told SportsCenter on Saturday morning that the bus is about 80 miles from Pittsburgh and that "everybody is safe" and "we're going to be OK."

Temple gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley said the Owls' bus, which left Philadelphia at about 2 p.m. Friday, is also stuck on the turnpike about 80 miles from Pittsburgh.

Ferry told SportsCenter on Saturday morning that the bus came to a stop at about 9:15 p.m. ET.

"It's been a heck of an experience," he said. "We were making good time, kept track of the storm and we're doing well. Then about 9:15 last night, it was a dead stop and we haven't moved since."

The National Guard was called out to provide food and water, as well as chains and shovels while emergency workers on all-terrain vehicles checked on stranded motorists. Officials closed a 90-mile stretch of the roadway to allow maintenance workers to focus on those who were stuck.

As of 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Ferry said that each player has a bottle of water, but the team has run out of food.

The Accuweather forecast for Somersetcalls for more snow into Saturday evening -- with a total accumulation from Friday evening reaching upwards of 2 feet.Blizzard warnings remain in effect Saturday for eastern and coastal portions of the mid-Atlantic, from mountain areas in Virginia to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Long Island, New York.

Ferry said earlier Saturday morning that the team had tracked the storm from the outset and was prepared. However, he added that his players were in good spirits, passing the time with jokes and watching movies.

"We're just bunkered down," Ferry said. "We've got a good group of guys and we've all just kind of hung out and had a good time with each other, watched a movie, guys were goofin' and laughing and on their phones. Hours turned into hours and hours and hours."

He later told the Associated Press: "You got to remember we have some big guys, so it's hard to sleep on a bus like this."

Salim-Beasley said her team was also watching movies and that their provisions are holding out as they usually travel with a large amount of snacks, "so those came in handy." Shesaid her team's training has made spending hours on a cramped bus more bearable than it might be for others.

"We are a gymnastics team," Salim-Beasley said. "So we can get into positions that most people won't be able to get into."

The team also tweeted out photos of members passing the time.

Pockets of motorists were stuck in the westbound lanes of the turnpike south of Pittsburgh, Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo told The Associated Press on Saturday. Some of those pockets stretch 2 or 3 miles.

Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement the backup was caused when trucks failed to climb hills. First responders are driving ATVs to reach the stranded motorists, Wolf said. The National Guard also has been called out.

"The safety of Pennsylvanians is my top priority, as many areas across Pennsylvania have been hit hard by this storm, which features heavy snow falling at a fast rate," Wolf said. "First responders from multiple state, county and local agencies are working together to address issues and ensure people are safe."

Said Ferry:"We just got to get these guys home and get them stretched out and get them some food. "Right now we're worried about the kids."

The Dukes' Twitter account has been posting periodic updates and says the team is "safe on warm bus" and "hoping others out here [on the turnpike] are as fortunate."

A similar incident happened in 2014 when the Niagara women's basketball team was stranded on the New York State Thruway for nearly 30 hours after a huge storm dumped 4 feet of snow around Buffalo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.