Box Score
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Nov. 16) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team used a balanced offensive attack to run past Franciscan University in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday.
Four different Yellow Jackets scored at least nine points and Waynesburg knocked down 12 three-pointers on its way to an 84-53 win over the Barons. The 31-point margin of victory is the largest for the program since a 94-55 triumph over Thiel during the 2005-06 campaign.
After the Barons (0-1) scored the game's first four points, Waynesburg responded by going on a 22-3 run that lasted until the midway point of the opening half to take a commanding 22-7 lead. The Yellow Jackets didn't let up and built a 43-21 halftime advantage that expanded to 33 points (54-21) after the visiting team went on an 11-0 run to open the second period. The Jackets pushed their advantage to as many as 35 points on several occasions before the end of the game, while never letting Franciscan close the deficit to less than 21 points for the remainder of the evening.
Senior guard
Luke Baker enjoyed a solid night, going for a game-high 15 points on five-of-11 shooting and pulling down four rebounds. Junior forward
Lou Galante knocked down five-of-seven shots from the floor, including three-of-five tries from three-point range, on his way to a 14-point performance. He also recorded a team-best seven rebounds. Junior center
Kurt Bonnet was even more efficient from the floor than Galante, as his five-of-six performance from the floor led to 11 points. Senior guard
Larry Alexander added nine points on four-of-six shooting, while junior point guard
Ben Altmeyer handed out a game-high three assists.
The Jackets held a sizeable 32-to-22 edge on the boards and knocked down an impressive 10-of-11 tries from the free throw line on their way to victory.
The Waynesburg men's hoopsters won't have much time to enjoy their big victory, as they return to action on Friday, Nov. 18, when they travel to Monaca to take on Penn State Beaver. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
