WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 24) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team took on Westminster at home in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup. The Jackets held multiple leads, but ultimately fell 86-78 to the visiting Titans.
 
Waynesburg (6-11, 2-6) and Westminster (11-6, 6-2) got off to an even start and were tied at 10 after the first five minutes. The Titans began to gain momentum in the next three minutes by going on an 11-2 run to take a 21-12 advantage.
 
The Yellow Jackets battled all the way back from the early deficit and grabbed a 33-32 edge after a 21-11 run with roughly five minutes to play in the first half. During the final stretch of the period, the Titans regained momentum and took a 44-39 lead into halftime.
 
Midway through the second half, the Titans still held a five-point lead at 61-56. Within a minute, the Yellow Jackets tied the game at 61 thanks to a layup by senior Casey Keesee (Tipp City, Ohio / Bethel) followed by a trey from junior Aiden Blake (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South).
 
Unfortunately, the Titans answered Waynesburg's challenge with four-straight points to regain the advantage. With under three minutes to go, the Titans achieved their largest lead of the day at 81-69.
 
The Jackets refused to give up the fight and pulled to within two baskets (81-75) with 76 seconds left to play. The deficit shrunk to five with 11 seconds remaining in the contest, but Westminster held on for the victory.
 
Keesee and Blake led the Waynesburg offense with 24 points each. The latter added a team-high seven rebounds to a productive 31 minutes on the court. Keesee tied for the game lead with four assists.
 
Junior Jackson Rhodes (Christchurch, New Zealand / St. Andrews College) added nine points on the day.
 
Waynesburg will hit the road on Wednesday, Jan. 28, to face Franciscan in another PAC contest. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.