WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 6) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball season hosted its second annual home tournament sponsored by Wash-Rite Express Car Wash on Friday. The Yellow Jackets used a balanced offensive attack to down the Soaring Eagles 77-66.
Waynesburg (1-0) set the tone early, building a double-digit lead midway through the opening half before carrying a 35-22 advantage into the locker room. The Yellow Jackets never trailed after taking the lead and maintained control throughout the second half despite several Elmira (0-1) rallies.
A deep and balanced lineup fueled the victory as five Yellow Jackets reached double figures. Sophomore Jonah Biggers (Cockeysville, Md. / Calvert Hall) led the way with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting while adding three rebounds and a block. Senior Aiden Blake (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) followed with 13 points, including three three-pointers, while sophomore Lorenzo Staley (Cleveland, Ohio / Ginn Academy) provided 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Freshmen Teegan Finucan (Cabot, Pa. / Knoch) and Cameron Suggs (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) each added 11 points in the winning effort.
Waynesburg's depth proved to be a major factor, as the Yellow Jacket bench contributed 27 points. The hosts also dominated in transition, scoring 26 fast-break points and converting Elmira mistakes into 28 points off turnovers.
The Yellow Jackets were efficient offensively throughout the contest, shooting 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point range. Waynesburg improved as the game progressed, connecting on 51.7 percent of its shots in the second half.
Defensively, Waynesburg limited Elmira to just 29.8 percent shooting from the floor and 24.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Waynesburg also held advantages in rebounding (37-34), assists (18-11) and points in the paint (36-18).
Junior Demetrius Rivers (Strongsville, Ohio / Glenville (Ginn Academy)) paced the Yellow Jackets on the glass with game-high nine rebounds, while Blake, Finucan and freshman Jackson Ogle (Stephens City, Va. / Sherando) each recorded three assists.
After building a 13-point halftime cushion, Waynesburg extended its lead to as many as 16 points in the second half before Elmira cut the deficit to six with under two minutes remaining. The Yellow Jackets answered by making key plays and free throws down the stretch to secure the season-opening win.
With the win, Waynesburg qualified for Saturday's championship game at 3 p.m. The Jackets will face Otterbein (1-0), which defeated Misericordia (0-1) in Friday's late contest. Elmira will face Misericordia in Saturday's consolation contest.
