Box Score
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 5) – After battling visiting Westminster to a tie after the first 20 minutes of play, the Waynesburg University men’s basketball team opened up several multi-basket leads in the second half and appeared poised for victory on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, the Titans were able to go on a big late-game run that led to a 68-55 Presidents’ Athletics Conference (PAC) win at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The victory moved Westminster to 4-9 overall and 1-2 in PAC play. The Yellow Jackets are now 1-9 on the year and 0-3 in conference competition.
The first half of competition was a tight one between the two rivals, and as it to a close, they were locked in a 29-29 contest. As the second half got under way, the Yellow Jackets scored the first five point to take a 34-29 lead, thanks to lay-up by forward James Allenby and a three-pointer by guard Ben Altmeyer.
Waynesburg continued to hold a multi-basket lead throughout the first 12:30 of the second period. However, trailing 50-44, Westminster went on a 9-3 run to tie the contest at 53-53. The Titans proceeded to score the next nine points and take a 62-53 advantage.
The visitors went on to seal the victory with some late free throws.
After holding the reigning PAC Player of the Year, senior forward Ryne Murray, scoreless in the first half, Waynesburg couldn’t duplicate the feat over the final 20 minutes of play. Murray went off for 23 points in the second half to lead all scorers. He also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
The Jackets were led by the duo of Altmeyer and guard Erik Noone, who tallied a game-high eight points each.
Cold shooting in the second half certainly didn’t help the Jackets, as they hit on just 28 percent of their shots from the floor (8-of-29). On the night, Westminster held a 47 percent (21-of-45) to 34 percent (19-of-56) edge from the field.
The Jackets will take another shot at their first PAC victory on Thursday night, when they travel to Greenville to face Thiel. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.