MEADVILLE, Pa. (February 1) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team dropped a competitive Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest at Allegheny 71-66 on Saturday afternoon. 

The Yellow Jackets fall to 7-13 on the year and 5-10 in conference play. Allegheny moves to 7-12 and 5-10 in the PAC. 

The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes with neither team leading by double-digits at any point throughout the contest. The majority of the game was played with the teams within two possessions of one another. Unfortunately, the Jackets missed six foul shots, each one on a different trip to the line, in the final 8:11 of regulation.

Waynesburg used an 8-2 run in the second half to lead 47-41 with 13:27 left in regulation. Allegheny answered with a 15-1 to go ahead 56-48 with just under eight minutes to play. The Jackets cut the Gators lead to three points four separate times over the final 6:30 but were never able to draw even or take the lead.

Aiden Blake (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) hit a three, followed by two Mikey Smith (Medford, N.Y. / William Floyd) foul shots to make it a 56-53 game with 6:30 left. Allegheny's Ryan Lang scored six-straight points to go ahead 62-53 with five minutes to go. Waynesburg rallied a 64-61 score with three minutes left after an 8-2 spurt. Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) split consecutive foul line trips to bring the score to 66-63 with 1:50 remaining.

Allegheny answered with a successful three-point play to lead by six (69-63) under 90 seconds left. Baker scored with a layup and Jalen Goins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) went 1-for-2 from the foul line to make it a 69-66 game with 37.2 seconds left. A Waynesburg foul sent Allegheny to the line and the Gators sank both free throws to seal the 71-66 win.

The first half was a seesaw affair as the teams traded the lead back and forth. Baker scored five-straight points late in the opening half to tie the game at 30 and PJ Suggs (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) had the final four points of the period to give the Jackets a 34-33 lead at the break.

Baker set a season-high with 26 points and added 18 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Goins made four three-pointers on his way to 14 points and six rebounds. Jaylen Davis (Cleveland Heights, Ohio / Cleveland Heights) was Waynesburg's next leading scorer with seven points.

The Jackets won the rebounding (40-30) and turnover (12-7) battles. Waynesburg took 14 more field goals and four more free throws than Allegheny. The Jackets logged 16 offensive rebounds compared to just there for the Gators.

Waynesburg takes on Westminster on Alumni Day next Saturday in the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.