WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 24) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team opened the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday night, when it played host to Frostburg State. The Yellow Jackets led throughout the majority of the evening, but a late run by the Bobcats not only erased a double-digit Jacket lead, but allowed FSU to pick up a 68-65 victory.
 
Back-to-back layups by senior D.J. Ritchie and sophomore Jon Knabb over the first 49 seconds of play gave Waynesburg (0-4) a quick 4-0 lead. After a free throw by FSU (1-3) trimmed its deficit down to just three points, the Jackets nearly doubled its lead (8-1) on another basket each from Knabb and Ritchie.
 
The home team never trailed over the remainder of the first half and built up leads as large as 13 points on multiple occasions. By the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, Waynesburg held a 37-31 edge at the break.
 
The Jackets rebuilt a double-digit (47-36) advantage early in the second period thanks to a 10-5 run out of halftime. A three-pointer by senior guard B.J. Durham with 13:08 showing on the game clock gave Waynesburg a game-high 14-point lead (52-38). Unfortunately, that trey also marked the beginning of a game-deciding turnaround from the visitors.
 
Following the long range connection by Durham, Frostburg exploded for a 20-to-four run that lasted six minutes and gave the Bobcats their first lead of the night at 58-56. Waynesburg tied the score back up at 58-58 thanks to a Durham layup. The host squad followed with hoops from sophomore Kendall Paige and senior Tim Plansinis to regain a four-point lead at 62-58.
 
Waynesburg managed to stay on top until there was around 1:30 left to play. Trailing by one point, FSU knocked down a pair of free throws to grab a slim 66-65 edge. Both teams had multiple opportunities to score over the home stretch of the contest, but Frostburg found its way to the free throw line with 14 seconds left to play and connected on two crucial foul shots to bring about the final score of 68-65.
 
Ritchie managed to get off a last-second three, but the Frostburg defense pestered the standout wing player enough to force a miss.
 
Durham led the Waynesburg attack with a team-high 18 points, while Ritchie added 13 markers and a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
 
The Jackets now get to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to the court. Waynesburg opens Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Wednesday, Dec. 2, with a road trip to Thomas More. Tipoff with the Saints is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.