WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 10) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team picked up its fourth-straight win and its seventh victory in its last eight games by downing Thiel 71-64 on Wednesday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The win avenged an 86-79 loss at the Tomcats' home gym back on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
 
The Jackets (9-13, 9-6) flew out of the gates and built a 28-14 lead after 13:10 of play. The Tomcats (11-11, 9-6) pulled to within eight points (32-24) by the end of the first half, and were on the verge of swinging momentum squarely to their side in period number two.
 
Thiel took advantage of a struggling Waynesburg offense and scored the first 15 points of the half to take a 39-32 advantage. The Cats led 43-35 with 13:05 left in the game, but Waynesburg finally regained its offensive footing.
 
A 15-7 run by the home team tied the score up at 50-50 with 7:51 showing on the game clock. Back-to-back hoops from senior wing D.J. Ritchie and sophomore wing Jon Knab established a 54-50 lead for the Orange and Black and capped a 9-0 Jacket surge.
 
Waynesburg never trailed for the remainder of the game, but didn't really gain control of the outcome until the host squad scored eight-straight points that turned a slim 57-56 edge into a 65-56 lead with under a minute left in the game. Thiel continued to battle over the night's final seconds, but six-straight Jacket foul shots sealed the conference victory.
 
Senior guard B.J. Durham led a balanced Waynesburg attack that featured five players scoring at least 10 points each. Durham paced the victors with a game-high 18 points and was followed by Knab's 15. Ritchie and sophomore guard Kendall Paige chipped in 11 points each, while junior guard Christian Koroly contributed 10 points to the winning effort.
 
The Jackets will celebrate senior day on Saturday, Feb. 13, when they welcome Bethany to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for a crucial Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.