WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 18) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted Chatham on Wednesday night for its final home game of the 2025-26 season. The Yellow Jackets gave the Cougars plenty to deal with, but the visiting team eventually took control of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest and pulled away for an 85-69 win.
 
The Yellow Jackets (7-19, 3-12) faced an early deficit to the Cougars (16-7, 11-4) falling behind 7-0 87 seconds into the game. Waynesburg responded to the early challenge with an 11-0 run of its own that included a pair of three pointers by junior Jackson Rhodes (Christchurch, New Zealand / St. Andrews College) and another by senior Scott Bilovus (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny)
 
After falling behind by as many as 13 points (38–25), Waynesburg responded with one of its strongest stretches of the half. Aggressive defense led to steals and fast-break layups, while additional three-pointers trimmed the deficit to just three points at 38-35 with 3:08 remaining in the half.
 
Late in the opening period, Waynesburg continued to battle, adding free throws and a late jumper to stay within range. Despite the early deficit and mid-half gap, Waynesburg showed resilience and offensive explosiveness and by the time the halftime break rolled around, the Jackets trailed by just seven at 46-39.
 
The Jackets got the second half off to quick start with a free throw from senior Jalen Goins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown) and another trey from Rhodes that cut the deficit down to just three points (46-43).
 
Waynesburg continued to fight offensively, getting contributions from inside and beyond the arc. A putback score trimmed the deficit again to three (48-45), and another three-pointer later brought the score to 53-48.
 
Midway through the half, Waynesburg found itself down by double digits but responded with steady pressure. Strong inside play, offensive rebounds and free throws helped narrow the gap to 63-54 with 9:52 left to play.
 
Waynesburg's most significant push came with just over four minutes remaining. Second-chance points and a three-point play reduced the deficit to 72-64. The team continued attacking the paint and converting free throws, keeping the game within reach at 79-67 with 2:48 remaining in the contest.
 
Unfortunately for the home team, Chatham strung together a quick 6-0 run to the put the game out of reach.
 
Rhodes led a quartet of double-digit scorers with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. He knocked down 4-of-6 from long range. Senior guard Casey Keesee (Tipp City, Ohio / Bethel) added 15 points on the night, while also pulling down a squad-high eight rebounds.
 
Goins and Bilovus tallied 10 points each in their final game at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Goins paced the Jackets with four assists.
 
Waynesburg wraps up the season on the road against Washington & Jefferson on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.