WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 20) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team rode an explosive start to the second half of Saturday's game to pull away for a third-straight victory. The Yellow Jackets blew open a five-point halftime lead by pouring in 48 points in period number two en route to a 78-47 win over visiting Franciscan.
The combined efforts of the Jacket (4-5) defense stole the show at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse by holding the Barons (2-6) to 31.5 percent shooting from the floor, including a 28-percent effort in the second half. Franciscan also failed to produce a double-digit scorer on the afternoon.
Things started slowly for the victors, as Waynesburg trailed 23-21 with 5:10 left to play in the opening period. However, the Jackets ended the half on a 9-2 run to go into the locker room with a 30-25 advantage.
The Orange and Black exploded back onto the court once the second half got underway by going on a 13-0 run that grew its advantage to 43-25. Waynesburg never led by fewer than 14 points over the remainder of the contest and built up multiple leads as large as 31 points. The Jackets took advantage of the situation by going deep into their bench and getting valuable minutes for some of their younger players.
A balanced offense was led by senior guard
Byrum Louco, who dropped in a game-high 14 points. Junior guard
B.J. Durham added 13 points, including a game-high three made three-pointers, while senior wing
Kenny Klase chipped in 11 to the winning effort. Senior center
Tyler Miller and junior wing
D.J. Ritchie added eight points each on the day.
Louco also excelled on the defensive end with five steals.
While the Waynesburg defense kept the Barons under control, the Jacket offense shot a solid 46.9 percent from the floor, including 54.6 percent in half number two. The home team also committed half as many turnovers as the opposition (22-to-11) and held a 15-to-nine advantage in assists.
The Yellow Jackets will try to carry its hot play over into the two-day Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic, which is being hosted by Wittenberg, on Dec. 29 and 30. Waynesburg plays the host Tigers to open the event. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
