CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Jan. 11) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team traveled to Thomas More for a Wednesday night Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) battle with the Saints. The Yellow Jackets gave the first-place team in the conference all they could handle, but came up just short of victory in a 69-68 battle.
 
After falling behind 38-26 at halftime, Waynesburg (4-10, 2-5) came firing out of the halftime break with a 10-3 run that reduced its deficit down to five points. Junior wing Jon Knab keyed the charge with six points coming on a three-pointer, a two-point basket and a free throw.
 
The visiting team continued to whittle away at the Saints' (10-4, 6-1) lead and pulled to within a single basket (52-50) after a layup by junior forward Marcus Wallace with 9:43 showing on the game clock. One possession later, senior point guard Timmy Kaiser canned a three-pointer that cut Thomas More's advantage down to a single point (54-53).
 
Three minutes later, the Jackets were able to tie the score at 60-60 following a Wallace jumper. Finally, with just over four minutes remaining in the game, Waynesburg was able to take the lead thanks to another hoop by Wallace that made the score 64-63.
 
Unfortunately, back-to-back field goals by Thomas More erased the Orange and Black's slim edge and put the home team ahead 67-64 with 4:07 showing on the game clock. A pair of Waynesburg hoops combined with two Saint free throws had the Jackets within striking distance of victory at 69-68 with 43 seconds left to play.
 
The Jacket defense then did its job by forcing Thomas More into a turnover with less than 25 seconds remaining on the clock. The Saints burned off 15 crucial seconds by fouling Waynesburg three times. With just eight seconds left, the Jackets were finally able to get a play off, but a last-ditch effort by Kaiser didn't find the mark and a dejected Waynesburg team had to stomach the loss.
 
Knab connected on nine-of-15 shots from the floor to pile up a game-high 21 points in the loss. He added five rebounds and three assists to a solid all-around night.
 
Kaiser recorded 12 points and three assists, while Wallace and sophomore Nate Gearhart chipped in 10 points each. Junior wing Kendall Paige dished out a game-high five assists to go along with a team-high six rebounds.
 
Amazingly, Waynesburg lost by a single point, despite getting just two free throw attempts. Thomas More, on the other hand, connected on 20-of-27 attempts from the foul line. The Jackets were able to compensate somewhat by knocking down nine three-pointers to just three for the Saints.
 
The Jackets return home on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they host Geneva. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.