Box Score
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (Feb. 8) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team picked up its third win over its last four games as the Yellow Jackets defeated Geneva 81-64 on Saturday. That victory, combined with a Washington & Jefferson loss, moved the Jackets into a tie for fourth place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) standings. The top four teams in the conference will host a home game in the upcoming PAC playoffs.
The Jacket (11-11, 6-7) offense was almost unstoppable in the first period, as the Orange and Black rode a 17-of-27 shooting performance (63 percent) to a 48-38 halftime advantage. Despite its impressive numbers in terms of accuracy, Waynesburg actually trailed the Golden Tornadoes (4-17, 0-12) 34-33 with 3:29 left to play in the opening period.
The Orange and Black grabbed control of the contest by ending the opening half on a 15-4 run that put the visitors up 48-38 at halftime. Freshman guard
Christian Koroly knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the surge, while sophomore guard
B.J. Durham added a trey of his own.
Waynesburg's lead expanded to 14 points (52-38) in the opening minutes of period number two thanks to a pair of free throws from senior guard
E.J. Coleman and a layup by junior guard
Byrum Louco. Geneva responded to the Jacket challenge by putting together a 17-6 surge that shrunk its deficit to just 58-55 with 9:08 remaining in the contest.
Junior forward
Jason Propst re-established a multi-basket lead for his team with a layup that made the score 60-55. That field goal proved to be the beginning of the end for the host Tornadoes, as it kicked off a 21-to-four scoring explosion for the Jackets. By the time the dust settled, the Waynesburg lead had grown to a game-high 22 points (81-59) with 3:11 showing on the scoreboard. The Jackets cruised to the win from that point on.
The Orange and Black attack featured tremendous balance in the win, as five different players reached double digits in scoring. Junior forward
Thomas Ellis came off the bench to put up a team-high 14 points on five-of-seven shooting. He also made all three of his three-point attempts.
Coleman connected on four-of-six field goal attempts en route to a 12-point showing, while Koroly drilled three-of-four three-pointers as part of a four-for-seven afternoon that yielded 11 points. Propst and Durham chipped in 10 points each to the winning effort. Propst also dished out a game-high four assists.
As good as Waynesburg was in terms of its overall shooting numbers (29-of-57, 51 percent), the victors were even better from three-point range (nine-of-17, 53 percent). The Jackets also took care of business from the free throw line, where they made 14-of-20 foul shots (70 percent).
Waynesburg completed its first ever two-game PAC regular season sweep of Geneva. The Golden Tornadoes joined the league before the 2007-08 campaign. The Jackets' 11 overall wins are their most since the 2006-07 season (12-13). The team's six conference victories are the most for the program since it went 7-5 during the 2005-06 campaign.
The Orange and Black will look to say hot on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when Thiel comes to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. That game marks the first of three-straight home games to end the regular season schedule.
