WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 29) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team welcomed Washington & Jefferson to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday night for what turned into an intense, physical Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown. After falling into an 11-point halftime hole, the Yellow Jackets bounced back to nearly double up the Presidents in the second half and roll to a 72-58 victory.
 
Waynesburg (4-2, 2-1) got off to a solid start and took a 7-4 lead after roughly four minutes of play. However, offensive struggled limited the Yellow Jackets to just 14 points over the final 15:51 off the first half. The Presidents (2-5, 1-2) dealt with their own issues in terms of scoring the basketball, but they were able to take a 32-21 lead into the break.
 
Whatever adjustments made by head coach Tim Fusina made in the Jacket locker room began bearing fruit as soon as the second half got underway. A 7-0 run allowed the Orange and Black to trim its deficit down to 32-28 after 1:46 of competition. W&J bounced back with an old fashioned three-point play, but back-to-back three pointers by junior Jordan McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn. / Science Hill) pulled the Jackets to within a point of tying the score at 35-34.
 
The visitors rebuilt a multi-basket advantage (41-36) with 15:41 left to play in the contest. Not only was that one of the final leads of the night for W&J, but it also marked the beginning of one of Waynesburg's best stretches of basketball it has played all season.
 
The host squad embarked on a 19-3 run that lasted nearly seven minutes and put it ahead 55-44 with less than nine minutes showing on the game clock. A W&J field goal with just over seven minutes left in the contest briefly slowed Waynesburg's momentum, but the Jackets quickly regained their stride with a 9-2 surge capped by a dunk from senior forward Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights).
 
With 2:34 left to play, Waynesburg was comfortably ahead 64-48 and was able to close out maybe its most impressive win of the young season.
 
McLoyd and Baker combined to form a potent scoring pair that drove its team to victory. McLoyd poured in a game-high and personal Waynesburg-best 24 points on a seven-for-14 shooting performance that included a five-for-10 effort from three-point range. He added eight rebounds to an impressive evening's work.
 
Baker logged his third-straight double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds, six of which were of the offensive variety. He also made an impact defensively with three blocks and three steals.
 
The Orange and Black held a sizeable rebounding advantage (47-36). The Jackets were also far more efficient at the free throw line, where they connected on 15-of-18 attempts. W&J connected on 16-of-34 foul shots.
 
Waynesburg will need to carry its momentum from its most recent victory into Saturday's showdown with undefeated Saint Vincent. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.