WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 30) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team faced Ursinus College during Wednesday's consolation game of the Holiday Inn College Park Classic, which was hosted by the Catholic University of America. The Yellow Jackets battled the Bears to a halftime tie, but suffered through a difficult second half which led to a 69-57 Waynesburg loss.
 
After falling into an early 6-2 hole, the Jackets (1-9) responded in a big way by putting together 12-2 run that gave them a 14-8 advantage after 7:17 of play. The dozen points came on four three-pointers. After senior wing D.J. Ritchie knocked down the first trey, senior guard B.J. Durham followed with three-straight from downtown.
 
Waynesburg built its advantage to as many as nine points (19-10) over the first 20 minutes of play and remained in the lead until the very end of the half. Ursinus (3-6) tallied the final six points of the period to tie the score at 32-32 before both teams broke for their respective locker rooms.
 
Ritchie broke up the Bears' offensive momentum by dropping in a layup to open period number two and give Waynesburg a 34-32 edge. The game remained a tightly contested affair and after eight minutes of back-and-forth play, the two teams were tied up at 43-43.
 
Ursinus regained the advantage with a layup, but a three-pointer by Durham gave the Jackets the lead back at 46-45. Unfortunately, that was the last time Waynesburg led on the evening. A 12-4 surge by the Bears allowed them to build a 57-50 lead with 7:19 left to play. The Jackets trailed by just two points (57-55) following a small 5-0 run, but Ursinus closed out the win by out-scoring the Orange and Black 12-2 during the stretch run of the game.
 
Durham's game-high 18 points, all of which came on three-pointers, weren't enough to lead Waynesburg to a victory. Ritchie chipped in 11 points in the loss, while sophomore Jon Knabb added nine markers. Senior forward Nate Labishak pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and tied for the team lead with four assists.

After the conclusion of the event, Durham was honored as a member of the CUA Holiday Inn College Park Classic All-Tournament Team.
 
The Jackets ring in 2016 on Saturday, Jan. 2, when they host Washington & Jefferson in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup.  Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.