WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 31) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team welcomed Thiel to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for an alumni day Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on Saturday. Neither team led by more than five points at any time during the contest, and by the time the final buzzer went off, it was the Tomcats that claimed a 55-52 win.
 
Waynesburg (6-13, 2-8) got off to a good start thanks to back-to-back field goals by senior Jalen Goins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) and junior Aiden Blake (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South). After Thiel (5-13, 2-8) scored its first two points of the day, the Jackets built their largest lead of the contest (7-2) thanks to a three pointer from junior Jackson Rhodes (Christchurch, New Zealand / St. Andrews College).
 
The Tomcats took their first lead thanks to a 10-4 run that put them ahead 12-11 with 11:21 showing on the scoreboard. The home team regained a one-point edge around eight minutes later when sophomore Demetrius Rivers (Strongsville, Ohio / Glenville (Ginn Academy)) knocked down a pair of free throws that put his team ahead 22-21.
 
Thiel scored six of the half's final eight points to take a 27-24 lead into halftime.
 
The final 20 minutes of competition saw more ties and lead changes as neither squad was able to gain firm control. A three-pointer by senior Grant Barnhart (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's) put the home team ahead 52-51 with 1:52 left to play.
 
Unfortunately, those were the final three points the Jackets scored on the afternoon. Meanwhile, back-to-back layups by Thiel in the span of one minute brought about the eventual final score. Waynesburg got two final chances to tie the score as a pair of three pointers over the last 11 seconds of play missed the mark and Thiel was able to leave town with the three-point victory.
 
The Jackets suffered the loss despite a game-high 16 points from Rhodes. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also paced his team in rebounds with six, half of which were of the offensive variety.
 
Rivers flexed his defensive muscles with a game-high three blocks.
 
Waynesburg returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 4, when it travels to Saint Vincent for another PAC contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.