GROVE CITY, Pa. (Jan. 31) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team grabbed a seven-point halftime lead and never looked back during Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) clash at Grove City College. The Yellow Jackets put together a solid all-around performance while earning a 69-55 victory over the Wolverines.
 
It took nearly two minutes, but the game's first basket was collected by way of a three-pointer from Grove City (8-12, 3-8). The Yellow Jacket (11-9, 7-4) responded with a pair of free throws from senior wing Kenny Klase to make the score 3-2, but both teams seemed to struggle in the early goings with putting up points.
 
Midway through the opening half, the Wolverines were clinging to a 12-11 lead. It was at that point in the contest that Waynesburg put together a lead it didn't relinquish for the remainder of the game. A 9-0 run composed of a trio of three-pointers put the Orange and Black ahead 20-12. Junior guard B.J. Durham connected on a pair of treys, while Klase capped the surge with a long range connection at the 11:26 mark. The visiting team led by as many as 12 over the final eight-plus minutes of the period, before settling for a 31-24 halftime lead.
 
After Grove City opened up the second half with a three-pointer that cut the lead to 31-27, senior guard Byrum Louco answered with a fast break layup to put his team back up by six (33-27). The Wolverines managed to pull to within two points of the lead (46-44) with 10:45 left to play, but the Jackets had a response in the form of a layup by senior forward Jason Propst.
 
The home team managed to cut its deficit down to a single basket on a free throw, but the Jackets put the game out of reach with an 18-2 run that lasted 6:59 and made the score 66-47 with 3:11 showing on the scoreboard. Waynesburg was able to melt the rest of the clock away for the victory from that point forward.
 
The Jackets boasted five players scoring between nine and 13 points each on the afternoon. Klase and fellow senior Thomas Ellis led the charge with 13 points each, while Durham and senior wing Jacob Fleegle chipped in 11 each. Junior D.J. Ritchie came off the bench to add nine points to the winning effort. Senior center Tyler Miller yanked down a game-high seven rebounds off the bench, while Louco dished out a contest-best six assists.
 
Waynesburg, which currently sits in a three-way tie for third-place in the PAC standings, returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 4, when it hosts first-place Saint Vincent in an important conference showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.