WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 20) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted Pitt Greensburg on Tuesday for its final game before Christmas. The Yellow Jackets' defensive prowess was on full display, as they took down the Bobcats 55-50.
 
The victory snapped Waynesburg's (5-6) four-game losing streak and saw the home team hold Pitt Greensburg (3-7) to its lowest scoring output of the year. The Bobcats currently average 73.0 points per game.
 
Pitt Greensburg got off to a strong start and built a 15-8 lead after 6:34 of play. The Jackets answered the Bobcats' challenge with an 8-0 run that gave them a slim one-point edge. Four different players scored in the surge including junior Jaylen Davis (Cleveland Heights, Ohio / Cleveland Heights), who capped the run with crowd-pleasing dunk.
 
Momentum swung back to UPG, which led until the 15:56 mark of the half when junior Jordan McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn. / Science Hill) knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer that knotted the score at 23-23. Senior Bryson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett) followed with a trey of his own that nudged Waynesburg into a 26-23 advantage.
 
The Bobcats regained control over the final 2:41 of the opening half and took a 31-30 lead as the period came to an end.
 
The visitors' advantage grew to 33-30 after they converted the first field goal out of the break. Waynesburg counter-punched with the next seven points to jump back ahead at 37-33. The Jackets stayed ahead of the Bobcats until 5:12 showed on the scoreboard and UPG used a brief 4-0 surge to make the score 47-46 with 5:12 remaining in the contest.
 
Once again, the Jackets answered UPG's challenge when senior Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) dropped in a go-ahead layup to put Waynesburg up 48-47. After a defensive stop, Wilt canned a massive 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining in the contest to put his squad up by four.
 
The Bobcats cut their deficit down to two with a jumper in the paint, before Baker did the same with just 33 seconds left to play. A free throw from the visitors pulled them to within a single field goal of tying the score. However, Wilt showed his veteran poise by converting a pair of free throws with just 23 ticks showing on the game clock to bring about the eventual final score.
 
Greensburg attempted a late comeback, but Baker blocked a three-point try with three seconds to go to finally lock down the home team's latest victory.
 
Davis paced the Jacket offense with 11 points over 17 minutes off the bench. The efficient big man connected on five-of-seven tries from the floor. He also tied for the game lead with eight rebounds.
 
Baker and Wilt tallied 10 points each, with the former tying Davis with eight boards.
 
Waynesburg gets to enjoy a 10-day hiatus from competition to celebrate Christmas, before returning to competition on Saturday, Dec. 30. The Jackets jump back into Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action with a road trip to Grove City. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.