This past Saturday, the Waynesburg University Men’s Basketball team was defeated, 77-52, by the Thiel Tomcats. 

The defeat marked three consecutive losses for the Yellow Jackets, who were outscored in the first half of all three of those games.

“We can avoid slow starts by being able to stay positive with one another and actually play hard,” Yellow Jackets head coach Tim Fusina said. “We have not been able to play hard consistently the entire season, hence why we are getting off to slow starts and why we are not able to recover.”

Thiel outscored Waynesburg 41-16 in the first half and both teams netted 36 points in the second half. 

Junior guard Scott Bilovus led Waynesburg in scoring with 12 points, including three three-pointers made. Senior guard Korey Mitchum was not far behind with 11 points.

In the waning minutes of the game, many new faces found their way onto the court for the Yellow Jackets. Trebor Edwards, Peyton Blankenship, William Moss and Brady Anderson, all freshmen, appeared in their first collegiate game.

“I would have rather gotten everyone in because we were up 30 as opposed to down 30. While it is impossible to play everyone, those guys that got in at the end deserve time as well because they are major contributors to our team on a daily basis,” Fusina said. “They work hard and care about the program and they deserve some time on the floor.”

Junior guard Tyreek Williams said they key to get back into the win column is work hard, play hard.

“Work hard and play hard for the guy next to you,” Williams said. 

With the loss, Waynesburg fell to 6-10 on the season and 4-7 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play. The team will look to get back into the win column this Wednesday on the road against Bethany, who Waynesburg beat, 87-80, at home in November.