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Box Score
WAYNESBURG (Jan. 26) – Despite a career-high 35 points from senior guard
Tim Drakeley, the Yellow Jackets suffered an 80-75 loss to Thiel College Saturday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest.
Waynesburg, who has now lost four-straight conference games, drops to 7-10 overall and 1-6 in league play. Meanwhile, the Tomcats move to 7-9 this year with a 3-4 record in conference play.
Drakeley scored his 35 points behind the strength of eight three-pointers. It marks the second game this week in which the senior guard has finished a game just one trey shy of tying the single-game school record. Drakeley made 10-of-15 attempts from the floor, including 8-of-11 from beyond the arc, and connected on seven-of-eight free throws.
Senior forward
Josh Parisi joined Drakeley in double-figure scoring with 18 points on 7-of-14 attempts, Parisi also collected a team-high six rebounds (four offensive) and four assists. Sophomore swingman
Ryan Courneen finished with eight points and three steals in 20 minutes off the bench.
Despite trailing 14-4 early in the game, Waynesburg mounted a rally to tie the contest at 24-24 behind the hot-shooting touch of Drakeley, who drilled four three-pointers during a three-minute stretch. The Tomcats seized control of the lead once again, increasing it to as many as seven points in the first half before another Drakeley trey made it a two-point contest, 37-36, with 3:18 left before halftime. Thiel eventually went into the break with a 43-38 lead behind strong inside play which led to 28 points in the paint and 13 second-chance points in the opening half.
Midway through the second half, the Tomcats led by a 67-54 margin before the Yellow Jackets evened the contest at 71-71 with an impressive 17-4 run over a four-minute span. During the run, Waynesburg made seven-of-nine shots from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers from Drakeley. However, the play of senior forward Joe Herrmann and successful free-throw shooting down the stretch led the Tomcats to the 80-75 victory.
Herrmann made 12-of-19 attempts from the floor and all seven free-throw attempts to finish with a team-high 31 points. The all-conference forward also collected nine rebounds and three assists. Freshman forward Tommy Hall added 19 points on eight-of-nine, including three emphatic dunks and three blocks.
For the game, the Tomcats shot 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the floor compared to 44.4 percent (24-of-54) for the Yellow Jackets. Thiel also held a sizeable advantage on the glass, out-rebounding Waynesburg by a 40-21 margin.
The Yellow Jackets continue conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 30, when they travel to face league-leading Bethany College at Hummel Fieldhouse in Bethany, W.Va. Tip is set for 6 p.m.
