WAYNESBURG, Pa.  (Feb. 7) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team welcomed Hiram to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for a Saturday Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on senior day. The two teams battled for 40 electric minutes, and it was the Yellow Jackets who came out on top to send the crowd home happy with an 84-82 win.
 
Saturday marked Waynesburg's (7-14, 3-9) largest scoring output of the season and featured six double-digit scorers. Five of those individuals were honored before the game during senior day and made up the Jackets' starting lineup: Jackson Rhodes (Christchurch, New Zealand / St. Andrews College), Scott Bilovus (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny), Jalen Goins (Morgantown, W.Va. / Morgantown), Grant Barnhart (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's) and Casey Keesee (Tipp City, Ohio / Bethel).
 
Things started slowly for the host squad, as the Terriers (5-16, 1-11) built a 9-3 advantage. However, the home team was able to find its offensive groove early and used a 13-2 run to take a 16-11 edge. Nine of those points came by way of treys from Keesee, Barnhart and Bilovus.
 
At the midpoint of the first half, the Yellow Jackets saw their lead grow to eight at 23-15. Two minutes later, that advantage expanded to 30-17, which was Waynesburg's largest of the game. Throughout the last eight minutes, the Terriers clawed their way back into contention and eventually tied the score at 40-40 with a minute remaining in the opening half.
 
The Yellow Jackets managed to wrangle the lead back and went into the locker room up 44-42. Bilovus enjoyed a fantastic first half in which he scored 12 points on four three pointers.
 
The Yellow Jackets and Terriers remained close to one another after play resumed, keeping the game tied five minutes into the second half, 51-51. Another five minutes late, the Terriers grabbed a 63-61 edge.
 
With less than seven minutes to play, Hiram posted its largest lead of the day, 72-66. In less than three minutes, the Jackets regained the momentum and swung the lead back in their favor, 73-72.
 
With a little over three minutes to play, both teams were knotted at 75-75. In two minutes, the game saw six lead changes and another tie. With 50 seconds to play, Hiram was clinging to an 82-81 edge.
 
The game was ultimately decided by a gritty sequence from Rhodes, who grabbed an offensive rebound following a pair of missed Waynesburg foul shots. Not only did he snare the board, but he powered back with the put-back and drew a foul. The New Zealand native showed his mental toughness by calmly knocking down both attempts.
 
Goins got the ball back for his team with a steal and, following a timeout, Waynesburg got back to the free throw line when Keesee was fouled. He knocked down his first of two tries, but with three seconds left to play, there was still plenty of action to be seen.
 
The two teams burned a combined four timeout preparing for the game-deciding moments. Eventually, the Jacket defense was able to provide the final stop that allowed them to enjoy the well-deserved win.
 
The victory snapped the Jackets' five-game losing streak. Saturday's win featured a combined 17 lead changes and 10 ties.
 
Rhodes led a combined 11 double-digit scorers on the afternoon by piling up a game-high 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. Bilovus added 15 to the winning effort, while Goins and Barnhart chipped in 11 each. Keesee and junior Aiden Blake (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) contributed 10 each.
 
Not only did Waynesburg perform well from three-point range (11-of-25), but the Jackets were efficient at the foul line, where they connected on 21-of-25 tries (84%).
 
The Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 11, when they travel to Bethany for a PAC matchup. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.