WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 24) – The second-seeded Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted seventh-seeded Grove City on Tuesday night in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament quarterfinal game. The Yellow Jackets were pushed by the Wolverines throughout the majority of the contest, but a strong finish by the host team allowed Waynesburg to pick up a 53-45 win and advance to the tournament's semifinal round.
 
Grove City's (9-17) slow-paced offense, which centers around killing most of the shot clock before attacking the basket, minimized the amount of shot attempts available for the Yellow Jackets (17-9). Over the first 20 minutes of play, neither team led by more than five points, the lead changed hands 11 times and there were six ties.
 
With 4:19 remaining in the opening period, the Wolverines held a four-point lead at 21-17. However, the Jackets got a two-point jump shot by senior forward Jason Propst and a three-pointer from junior guard B.J. Durham on back-to-back possessions to take a 22-21 advantage with 2:37 showing on the scoreboard. Defense dominated the final moments of the opening period and neither team was able to add to its respective total before breaking for halftime.
 
The first 12:40 of the second half was a continuation of the low-scoring first period. However, with 7:20 showing on the clock, Waynesburg was finally able to take control of the contest. Senior guard Casey Hope got things rolling with a three-pointer that gave the Jackets a slim 35-32 edge at the 13:30 mark of the period. That trey started a 7-0 Waynesburg surge that put the Orange and Black ahead 39-32 with 3:48 left to play.
 
The Jackets maintained multi-basket leads for the remainder of the game and extended their edge to as many as 10 points (47-37) after a three-pointer by senior wing Jacob Fleegle and a pair of free throws from Durham. With 31 seconds left, the Wolverines knocked down a three-pointer to pull to within five points (48-43). However, five successful free throws in six attempts allowed Waynesburg to keep GCC at bay and close out the victory.
 
Speaking of free throws, Waynesburg's massive advantage at the charity stripe played perhaps the biggest role in its victory. The Jackets converted 20-of-25 foul shots, including 17-of-21 tries in the second half alone. GCC countered with a productive night from three-point range, in which it converted an impressive nine-of-16 tries from down town. Waynesburg made five-of-11 treys, three of which were made by Durham.
 
Speaking of the junior guard, Durham led Waynesburg with a team-high 13 points. Propst added 10 points to the winning effort, while Fleegle chipped in nine, which included a six-for-six effort in free throws.
 
The victory was Waynesburg's eighth in a row overall and its 10^th win at home this season. The Jackets will be back at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Thursday, Feb. 26, when they host third-seeded Bethany in the semifinals. All four of the top seeds in the PAC tournament won on Tuesday, meaning fourth-seeded Thomas More will travel to top-seeded Saint Vincent on Thursday. Tipoff between Waynesburg and Bethany is scheduled for 7 p.m.