WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 11) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted Chatham on Wednesday night for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup. The two teams battled over 40 tightly-contested minutes. Unfortunately, the Cougars scored six of the game's final nine points to break up a 57-57 tie and escape with a 63-60 win.
 
Waynesburg (4-10, 2-8) featured a balanced offensive attack that included four double-digit scorers and a fifth that tallied eight on the night. Junior Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) put together another solid night on the court with his fourth double-double on the season. Baker set team highs in both points (16) and rebounds (12). He shot six-for-10 from the floor and converted all four of his free throws.
 
Junior Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) added 12 points on the night and handed out a squad-best three assists. Graduate student Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) just missed out on a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds, while senior Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Pa. / Twinsburg) recorded 10 points.
 
Junior Bryson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett) went for eight points, four rebounds and a team-high three steals.
 
The two conference rivals battled from the opening tip. Through a back-and-forth first half, they posted three ties and 10 lead changes. With 3:56 remaining in the first 20 minutes of action, Chatham held a slim 22-21 edge. The host team outscored the visitors 10-7 down the stretch of the half to take a 31-29 advantage into the break.
 
Period number two played out very similarly to the first, as it featured five ties and three lead changes. With 3:13 left to play in the game, Knotts broke up a 53-53 tie with a go-head two-point field goal. Back-to-back baskets by the Cougars gave them a 57-55 lead.
 
After Felberg retied the score at 57-57, Chatham jumped ahead thanks to a two-point basket and a pair of free throws. Trailing 61-57 with just six seconds left to play, Felberg managed to connect on a desperation three pointer to pull his team to within a point of tying the game.
 
The Cougars nailed down two more free throws with less than two seconds remaining. Felberg let fly with a Hail Mary three point try that missed the mark as the game's final buzzer sounded.
 
Waynesburg outperformed Chatham in both rebounding (35-26) and free throws. The Jackets nailed down 14-of-16 tries from the stripe, to the Cougars' six-of-12 effort. However, the game was ultimately decided from long range, where the visitors made 11 treys to the Orange and Black's four.
 
The Waynesburg men play their second of four-straight home games on Saturday, Jan. 14, when Allegheny comes to town. The Jackets are scheduled to tip off with the Gators at 3 p.m.