LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 27) -- The Waynesburg University men's basketball team knocked off Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) leading St. Vincent College 63-57 on Saturday night in a defensive battle at the Robert S. Carry Center. 

It was clear from the start that Saturday night's contest would be a fight to score points for both teams as the Jackets (10-9, 7-7) were held scoreless for the first 4:14 of the game. The Bearcats (17-2, 12-2) held a 6-4 lead at the under-12 media timeout.

Things picked up offensively toward the end of the half as a Bearcats layup with 18 seconds left gave the home team a 28-26 lead. Korey Mitchum (McHenry, Md. / Southern Garrett) was fouled on a 3-point attempt on the following possession with 1 second showing on the clock. Mitchum drained all three free throws to give the Yellow Jackets a slim 29-28 lead heading into the break.

Mitchum's free throws kick started an extended 19-6 run for the Jackets that saw Waynesburg's lead grow to 11 (45-34) on a Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) layup with 12:19 left in the game.

Over that 7:42 spurt, Knotts and Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) each contributed 6 points while Jordan McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn. / Science Hill) and Jaylen Davis (Cleveland Heights, Ohio / Cleveland Heights) added 2 points each. The Yellow Jackets forced four turnovers and limited St. Vincent to just 2-of-7 from the field during that stretch.

Knotts posted his strongest performance of the season for the Jackets as he notched game bests in points (19), assists (6) and steals (2). He added five rebounds and went 6-of-13 from the field and 7-of-8 at the line. 

The Bearcats, looking to avoid their second consecutive PAC loss, responded with a 16-6 run over the next 9:04 to cut the deficit to 1 (51-50) with 3:15 left in the game.

The Yellow Jackets stayed composed to close the game and outscored St. Vincent 12-7 the rest of the way to seal the 63-57 victory. Of those 12 points, Baker had 4 with a pair of layups and the other 8 came at the free-throw line. Waynesburg finished the game 20-of-25 (80.0%) at the charity stripe. 

Baker posted 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 2-of-2 at the line to go with a game-best-tying three blocks and five rebounds on the night.

Mitchum finished the contest with 10 points, 6 of which came at the foul line (6-of-7), while Davis added a game-best 10 rebounds and 4 points.

The Jackets outscored Saint Vincent 32-18 in the paint and outrebounded the Bearcats 38-32 on the night.

"They were just more physical than us," DP Harris, St. Vincent head coach said. "They scored 32 points in the paint and that exposed us."

The Orange and Black held the Bearcats to a season-low 30.4% shooting percentage. St. Vincent's 57 points was their fewest points scored in a game since last years 70-61 January 25 defeat at the hands of head coach Tim Fusina's Yellow Jackets. The Bearcats' nine attempted 3-pointers was their second lowest total of the year (7, Dec. 2 vs. Waynesburg) and their two 3-point makes tied for their season low.

The Yellow Jackets return to action next Wednesday, Jan. 31, when they travel to Beaver Falls, Pa., for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with now-conference-leading Geneva College.