Box Score  
 
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 19) – The crowd of around 150 spectators gathered at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Saturday were witness to Waynesburg University men's basketball history. The Yellow Jackets' opponents for the day were the two-time defending Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) champions, the Bethany Bison, a team that had not lost to the Orange and Black since the 2002-03 season, a span that included 22 games.
 
After several close contests against other elite teams in the conference this season, the Jackets seemed poised to finally pull off a big upset and get third-year head coach Mark Christner a signature win. Thanks to a solid day at the free throw line, building up a big second-half lead and mental toughness down the stretch, the Yellow Jackets finally got Christner his big victory by ending their decade-long skid to the Bison with a 67-64 triumph in front of a raucous home crowd.
 
The victory pushed Waynesburg's overall record to 7-11 and its PAC mark to 2-7. The Jackets have already collected their most total victories in a season since going 8-17 in 2007-08. The loss dropped Bethany to 12-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play.
 
Bethany came out quickly in the first minute of the contest and built up a 5-2 lead. It ended up being their largest advantage of the afternoon, as the Jackets tied the game up with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Kenny Klase to set the tempo for the first five-plus minutes of the first period. However, with the Bison leading 10-9 and 14:23 remaining in the first half, the Jackets took off on a 14-2 sprint that was capped by another Klase three-pointer. With 9:11 to play until halftime, the Jackets were leading perhaps the most consistently dominant program in the conference over the last decade 23-12.
 
Waynesburg not only maintained multi-basket leads throughout the remainder of the half, but pushed its advantage to 13 with a minute showing on the first-half clock. The Bison rattled off the final five points of the period to pull within eight (38-30) when the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms.
 
The Jackets kept the Bison at bay over the first 10 minutes of the second half, but with 9:54 left to play, the visitors pulled to within four points at 50-46. Waynesburg responded with the next four points of the game to go back up by eight (54-46), before the Bison fired back with six-straight points to whittle its deficit down to just a single basket (54-52). Sophomore forward Jason Propst rebuilt a multi-basket advantage for his team with two free throws, but with 7:08 left to play, the stage was set for a thrilling finale to the game.
 
Sophomore forward Thomas Ellis got to the hoop for a Jacket layup with 4:32 showing on the clock to put his team ahead 60-54. Once again, the Bison showed their championship mettle by posting the next six points of the game to tie things up at 60-60 with 2:50 remaining in the contest. However, Propst showed his composure by knocking down two free throws to give Waynesburg the lead back at 62-60.
 
The Bison countered with two free throws over two different trips to the charity stripe, and the game was tied up at 62-62 with just over a minute to play. Junior guard E.J. Coleman came right back on the ensuing possession by laying in two of his seven points to give the home team the lead back at 64-62. With just 20 seconds left, Coleman was fouled and connected on one of two free throws to push the home team's edge to 65-62.
 
After Bethany grabbed the rebound following Coleman's missed second free throw attempt, Waynesburg denied the Bison on a layup try and Coleman was fouled to stop the clock with just over eight seconds left to play. The first-year junior from Beaver Falls, Pa. put the finishing touches on a fantastic individual effort at the end of the game by nailing down two more foul shots, making the score 67-62 Waynesburg.
 
The Bison made one last desperate comeback try and were able to tip in a rebound with 1.1 seconds remaining in the game. However, the Jackets would not be denied their big win. After Bethany called a timeout, Waynesburg was able to get the inbounds pass into the court and simply ran out the final second of play before celebrating the victory at mid-court.
 
Saturday's historic win was a true team effort, as five different Jackets scored at least seven points on the day. Klase led the charge with a team-high 15 points, while Propst put together a double-double effort that included 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Thomas Ellis came off the bench to pour in 13 points and nine rebounds of his own, while Coleman and sophomore point guard Casey Hope chipped in seven each.
 
Waynesburg's productive day at the charity stripe wound up playing a huge role in the win. The Jackets connected on 15-of-19 tries at the line, while Bethany hit on 11-of-17 attempts. Waynesburg was also able to limit the deadly three-point shooting of the Bison to just five makes in 26 attempts (19 percent).
 
With one of the biggest victories in recent program history in the books, Waynesburg will hit the road for the first time since Wednesday, Jan. 2, when the Jackets travel to Grove City to face the Wolverines on Wednesday, Jan. 23. They will look to avenge a 55-49 loss that they suffered at the hands of GCC back on Dec. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.