WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 3) - The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted their Presidents' Athletic Conference opener against Franciscan on Wednesday evening. The Yellow Jackets fell 81-63 to the Barons.
 
In the first eight minutes, the Yellow Jackets (3-5, 0-1) and the Barons (5-1, 1-0) remained evenly matched until an 8-0 run put the Barons up 19-8 midway through the first half. The Jackets struggled to gain ground until three minutes left in the opening period, when they went on a 10-0 run to end the half and cut their deficit down to 35-31.
 
Junior guards Cam Danser (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) and Aiden Blake (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) led the Jackets with eight points each over the first 20 minutes of competition to help keep the action close.
 
Coming out of the half, both teams scored early points, but the Barons went on a six-point unanswered run two minutes into the half to extend their lead to nine. Unfortunately, Franciscan put together a 13-3 run to take a 59-43 advantage midway through the half.
 
The Jackets bounced back by scoring 11 of the next 14 points to whittle Franciscan's lead to just eight at 62-54 with 5:30 showing on the clock. However, the visitors again showed their mettle by outscoring the Orange and Black 19-9 down the home stretch of the contest to close out the win.
 
Waynesburg suffered the setback despite outstanding nights from Blake and Danser, who both logged double-doubles on the evening. Blake finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Danser chipped in 14 points, 11 rebounds and a contest-best six blocks.
 
Waynesburg will be back at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 6, when Saint Vincent comes to town for another conference clash. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.