GREENVILLE, Pa. (Jan. 13) – Senior wing D.J. Ritchie recorded his third double-double of the season,  but the Waynesburg University men's basketball team lost to fellow Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) member Thiel, 86-79. Ritchie scored 10 points and gathered 11 rebounds in the loss.
 
Thiel shot out to a 16-2 lead over the first six-and-a-half minutes of action. Waynesburg showed its resolve by battling back with a 22-6 run to capture a one-point advantage with seven minutes remaining in the half. From that point, the lead changed hands five times for the remainder of the period. A buzzer-beating layup by Thiel gave the home standing Tomcats a two-point advantage at intermission.
 
With under five minutes remaining in the game, junior guard Christian Koroly knocked down a three-pointer to give Waynesburg a 71-70 lead. However, the Yellow Jackets went cold over the next four minutes as Thiel rattled off a 9-0 run to seize control of the contest. The Jackets responded with a 6-1 run to trim the deficit to three, but got no closer to a victory. The final nine Thiel points came at the charity stripe as the Tomcats converted nine of their last 11 free throw attempts.
 
A major determining factor in the game's outcome was the two teams' efforts at the foul line. Thiel shot 27-of-45 from the stripe, while Waynesburg converted 10 of its 20 free throw attempts.
 
In addition to Ritchie, two other Yellow Jackets reached double digits in scoring. Senior guard B.J. Durham led the Jackets with 15 points, while senior forward Tim Plansinis narrowly missed his own double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
With the setback, Waynesburg dropped to 2-12 overall and 2-4 in the PAC. Thiel improved to 6-8 overall and 3-3 versus PAC competition. The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Saturday, as they welcome Chatham to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Jackets and the first-year Cougar men.