Box Score

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 4) – Last year, the Waynesburg University men's basketball team snapped a 10-year losing streak to Bethany with a thrilling 67-64 win over the Bison. The two teams met up for a rematch on Thursday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse, and even though the home squad came out on the short end of a 68-65 score, the Yellow Jackets showed that last year's win over the perennial conference powerhouse was not a fluke.
 
Bethany (5-0, 1-0) took early control with an 8-2 run to open the contest. The Bison's lead grew to a game-high 11 points (18-7) after 7:18 of play. However, the Jackets (4-3, 0-1) responded with a 12-2 surge that cut the Bison advantage to just one point at 20-19 with 9:14 remaining in the first half.
 
Two minutes later, freshman Christian Koroly's three-pointer gave the home team its first lead of the night at 25-24. A Bison trey gave them the advantage back at 27-25, but with 57 seconds remaining the opening period, junior Thomas Ellis connected on a pair of free throws that put Waynesburg ahead 34-33 at halftime.
 
The Yellow Jackets' success at the charity stripe continued into period number two as junior forward Jacob Fleegle connected on two attempts to advance his team's lead to 36-33. Waynesburg maintained its slim advantage until the 11:52 mark of the half, when the Bison went ahead 45-43.
 
Waynesburg stuck right with the Green and White down the stretch of the thrilling Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown. With 49 second left to play, Ellis connected on a layup that cut the Bethany lead to 66-65. After junior forward Jason Propst ripped down a defensive rebound off a Bison miss, Jacket head coach Mark Christner called timeout with 16 seconds showing on the clock. Ellis had a chance to put his team ahead late, but his three-point try from the corner came up short and the visitors gobbled up the rebound. A pair of Bison free throws sealed the victory.
 
Fleegle led a group of four Waynesburg players who scored at least nine points on the night with a team-high 12 points. Junior Kenny Klase added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Jackets, while Propst and Ellis chipped in nine each. Propst also swatted a game-high five blocks and ripped down five rebounds.
 
Waynesburg was hampered by a 31.7 percent shooting effort in the loss, but an outstanding 21-of-26 showing at the foul line (80.8 percent) kept the Jackets in contention for the victory.
 
The Jackets will take another shot at their first PAC victory on Saturday, when they make a road trip to Thomas More. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.