WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 3) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team opened the 2024 calendar year on Wednesday looking for a third-straight victory. After falling behind at halftime, the Yellow Jackets dominated Franciscan in the second half of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tilt on their way to a 76-61 win.
 
The Barons (5-7, 2-6) raced out of the gate by scoring the first nine points of the contest. A timeout from Waynesburg (7-6, 4-4) head coach Tim Fusina at the 2:26 mark seemed to be just what the home team needed, as it scored 13 of the next 17 points to tie the score at 13 each.
 
Franciscan rebounded with four point to retake the advantage at 17-13. The Jackets forced three more ties in the opening half, before the Barons ended the period with a 38-31 lead.
 
Like the timeout early in the contest, the halftime break seemed to refocus the host squad, particularly senior Byson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett), who scored the first five points of the half on a pair of field goals. Following a Franciscan field goal that made the score 40-36, the Orange and Black took its first lead of the contest with a 6-0 run that eventually stretched to eight-straight points.
 
A Baron trey again slowed the Jacket momentum, but not for long, as junior Jordan McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn. / Science Hill) sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a layup from junior Jaylen Davis (Cleveland Heights, Ohio / Cleveland Heights) to push Waynesburg's lead to 52-43.
 
That highly productive stretch proved to be the turning point of the afternoon as the home team wound up outscoring the opposition 45-23 over the final 20 minutes The Jackets built multiple 15-point advantages, including the final score, which were the biggest leads of the day.
 
Senior Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) put on a dominant performance in the paint in leading his team to victory. The veteran standout poured in a game-high 25 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the floor and a seven-for-10 effort from the free throw line. He completed his team-leading fifth double-double with a contest-best 10 rebounds. He also paced all players with five steals.
 
McLoyd added 15 points, which was the second-highest scoring total of the afternoon. Davis and fellow junior Korey Mitchum (McHenry, Md. / Southern Garrett) tallied eight points each off the bench.
 
The Jackets will try for a fourth-straight win on Saturday, when they host Chatham in another PAC showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.