HAMBURG, N.Y. (Nov. 7) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team tipped off the 2025-26 season on Friday at the Hawks Against Hunger Tip-Off Tournament. The Yellow Jackets advanced to tomorrow's championship game by defeating host Hilbert 75-69.
 
The Yellow Jackets (1-0) got a fine performance from junior Jackson Rhodes (Christchurch, New Zealand / St. Andrews College), who was making his long-awaited team debut. Rhodes transferred to Waynesburg prior to the 2024-25 campaign but missed all of last year with an injury.
 
Rhodes poured in a game-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor. That performance included connecting on 3-of-7 attempts from three-point range.  
 
Things started slowing for the Orange and Black, as Hilbert (0-1) opened up a 15-5 lead 3:51 into the contest. Waynesburg shook off the bumpy start by scoring 10-straight points and tying things up at 15-15. Sophomore transfer Demetrius Rivers (Strongville, Ohio / Glenville (Ginn Academy)) tallied half of those points in his first game as a Yellow Jacket.
 
The Hawks rebounded by scoring 27 of the next 42 points and building a 42-30 advantage with 3:27 showing on the first half clock. Momentum swung back to Waynesburg's favor, as the Jackets closed the opening 20 minutes by dropping in the final 13 points of the period. A trio of treys made up the bulk of those points, two of which belonged to senior Grant Barnhart (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's).
 
Waynesburg broke through to take a 43-42 lead on Barnhart's second made three-pointer of the half. That was also the score when the two squads broke for their respective locker rooms.
 
The Jackets stretched their run to 15-0 thanks to a pair of Rhodes free throws 16 seconds into the half. Hilbert answered with a 6-1 spurt and held a 48-46 edge. Waynesburg regained the lead at 53-48 by scoring seven-straight points, five of which came from Rhodes.
 
The majority of the second half saw the two squads trading leads and ties and with just under four minutes left in the game, Hilbert held a slim 66-65 edge. A trio of Waynesburg players combined for seven-straight points that pushed the Jackets ahead 72-66 with less than 90 seconds remaining in the ball game.
 
The Hawks kept hopes for victory alive thanks to a three pointer with 12 seconds showing on the clock. However, two free throws each from Barnhart and senior Scott Bilovus (Imperial, West Allegheny) sealed up the triumph.
 
Junior Mikey Smith (Medford, N.Y. / William Floyd) put together a fine all-around game during a return to his home state. He combined 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor with a team-high eight rebounds, a squad best four assists and a game-high three steals.
 
Barnhart was the picture of efficiency off the bench, as he knocked down 3-of-4 shots from the floor, including all three of his attempts from long range, on his way to 11 points.
 
Waynesburg showed off an impressive efficiency from beyond the arc with a 9-of-17 effort from downtown.
 
The win earned Waynesburg a meeting with St. John Fisher in tomorrow's title tilt. Start time is scheduled for 3 p.m.