Box Score
NEW CONCORD, Ohio (Dec. 28) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team trailed Muskingum by one point at the end of Saturday's game and had a chance to pull out a thrilling win in Ohio. Unfortunately, junior forward
Jacob Fleegle's mid-range jumper was off target and the Yellow Jackets came up just short of victory in an 80-79 thriller against the Muskies.
Waynesburg (5-6) got the afternoon off to a fast start by jumping out to an 8-2 lead. The visiting team maintained its advantage until a 9-0 Muskingum (4-4) run that turned a three-point Jacket lead into a 20-14 edge for the home squad with 12:31 showing on the first-half clock. A pair of free throws from junior forward
Jason Propst slowed the Muskies' momentum, but the Red and Black fired back with seven-straight points to stretch its lead to a game-high 11 points (27-16) with 7:40 to play in the opening period.
Waynesburg clawed its way back into the game with a 13-3 surge that lasted for three minutes and featured six points from junior forward
Thomas Ellis. The Muskies regained control of the contest down the stretch run of the period and led by as many as nine points before going to the locker room sporting a 42-38 lead.
Trailing by four points (51-47) with 13:43 left to play, the Jackets were unable to take full advantage of three consecutive trips to the foul line, and only connected on three-of-six free throws to pull to within a single point of the Muskies. A three-pointer from senior guard
E.J. Coleman with just over 11 minutes showing on the clock pulled the visiting team back to within one point of the lead (54-53). However, Muskingum looked ready to put the game away after taking off on a 12-2 surge that re-established a 10-point lead at 66-56 with 8:42 left in the contest.
Momentum swung back in to Waynesburg's favor with a big offensive push of its own thanks to a 13-2 spurt that was capped by a Propst jumper. That field goal gave the Jackets their first lead (69-68) since six minutes into the game. Unfortunately, five free throws and a three-pointer put Muskingum back ahead 76-69 with just 2:38 showing on the clock.
The Orange and Black continued to battle over the final few minutes of the non-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown and trailed by three points with seven seconds remaining in the game. Ellis connected on a pair of clutch foul shots to narrow the deficit to a single point and with just one second on the scoreboard, the Jackets were able to inbound the ball for one final shot. Unfortunately, the Fleegle field goal was unsuccessful, and Muskingum escaped with the victory.
Waynesburg was led by sophomore guard
B.J. Durham, who poured in a team-high 21 points. Ellis came off the bench to score 19 points, pull in seven rebounds and swipe three steals. Propst had another strong all-around game, which saw him record his third-straight double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. He also dished out a team-high three assists and blocked two shots.
The Jackets turned the ball over just 10 times in the loss, while forcing their opponents into 18 turnovers. They also held a slim 42-37 edge in rebounding.
Waynesburg is off until the next calendar year, which gets underway with a road PAC game at Grove City on Friday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
