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Box Score
BETHANY, W.Va. (Jan. 30) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team mounted a 25-2 run in the early minutes of the second half, but it wasn't enough as the Yellow Jackets dropped a 82-78 contest against Bethany College Wednesday night at the Hummel Fieldhouse.
Waynesburg, who has now loss 12-straight games against Bethany since the 2002-03 season, falls to 7-11 overall with a 1-7 mark in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play this year. Meanwhile, the Bison remain atop the conference standings with a 7-1 record in league action and a 12-7 record overall.
Senior guard
Tim Drakeley and senior forward
Josh Parisi combined to score 51 of the Yellow Jackets' 82 points. Drakeley, the reigning PAC Player of the Week, finished with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting with three three-pointers, five rebounds and four steals. Parisi registered his fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 attempts and 11 rebounds.
Junior swingman
Jason Clark joined the senior duo in double-figure scoring with 11 points and four rebounds, while senior guard
Jered Gamble finished with three points, three assists and four steals.
Bethany took a 49-25 lead into halftime behind the strength of a 22-2 run midway through the first half. The Bison shot 54.1 percent (20-of-37) from the field, including 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from long range in the first 20 minutes.
However, Waynesburg erased a 22-point second half deficit with a 25-2 rally over a five-minute span early in the second half. During the run, the Yellow Jackets hit 11-of-13 shots and capped the rally with a lay-up from Clark with 13:14 remaining in the game, 54-53. Bethany evened the contest three times in the ensuing 10 minutes, but Waynesburg maintained control of the lead until a pair of free throws from senior guard Marcus Adams gave the Bison a 74-72 lead with 3:19 left. With the game still a two-point contest in the final minute, senior guard Brody Jackson put the game away with two free throws in the final 17 seconds, 82-78.
Jackson finished with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-12 attempts, including four three-pointers, with four rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Joe Testa finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Tyler Morando added 12 points.
After a hot first half shooting the ball, the Bison finished the game shooting at a 48.3 clip (29-of-60), compared to the Yellow Jackets shooting 47.6 percent (30-of-63). Waynesburg collected 12 steals off 20 turnovers by Bethany and converted the mistakes into 29 points.
The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday, Feb. 2, with a 7:30 p.m. game against Saint Vincent College at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
