The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team hosted the Omni Ink Waynesburg Tip-Off Tournament this past weekend, losing both games against Case Western Reserve University and Muhlenberg College.

“We felt that if we played hard and defended, we would put ourselves in position to win,” head coach Tim Fusina said.

On Friday, Waynesburg lost to the Case Western Reserve Spartans, 89-61.

The Spartans from the opening tip showcased why they were one of the top teams in the tournament as they took control of the game early, going up by 22 points through the first ten minutes. They went up by 33 points at the half over the Yellow Jackets, 54-21. 

“We did not guard nearly well enough to win on Friday,” Fusina said. 

Case Western Reserve increased the lead to 42 points at one point in the second half as Waynesburg went to the bench to get experience for the stay-ready groups. 

This showcased a few positives, as the Yellow Jackets outscored the Spartans in the half 40-35 while holding them to 35% shooting compared to 63% in the first half. However, the first-half deficit would be too much to overcome. 

“I thought they played hard in the time that they played,” Fusina said about his bench. 

Junior guard Aiden Blake led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 21 points, knocking down five three-pointers on the evening.

“From this year to last year, I knew I had to step up with the seniors who graduated last year,” Blake said. “This summer I really worked on my craft and game.”

With the loss to the Spartans, the shorthanded Yellow Jackets faced Muhlenberg College in the consolation game on Saturday. They fell to the Mules, 63-47. 

The Yellow Jackets were without a few key players due to injury: sophomore Demetrius Rivers, junior Jackson Rhodes, and senior Casey Keesee. Keesee was also out on Friday as well. 

Similar to Friday’s game, Waynesburg was not able to get off to the best start possible as Muhlenberg went on an 8-0 run to start the game. 

Offensively, the Yellow Jackets scored only 15 points in the first half, shooting just 18% from the field as a team to be down 33-15 at half.

Muhlenberg, on the other hand, was mainly consistent, knocking down 11 shots in the first half, five from beyond the three-point line, while also getting to the free throw line and hitting 6 of 8. 

Waynesburg’s shooting woes continued into the second half, shooting 7-for-25 from the field and 1-for-10 from behind the arc. The Yellow Jackets did get to the free throw line more consistently in the second half; however, it was not that much better, as they shot 59% from the charity stripe.

The Mules took the matchup 67-43. 

Senior Scott Bilovus finished with a team-high 10 points on 3 of 9 from behind the arc. 

Waynesburg moves to 3-2 on the young season with another big week ahead with rematches against the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg and Oberlin College while also dealing with the injuries as well.

“We also have a lot of injuries right now, so we will need to have everyone focus a lot more this week,” Fusina said.

Much like Fusina, Blake also has the same feelings that the team, even with the injuries, can pull off bounce-back wins.

“We can’t get down and try to get back up. We need to guard the ball and lock down their key players,” Blake said. “They both are good teams, and we have some key guys with injuries, so we need guys off the bench to step up. I’m excited going into this week and think we can get two team wins.” 

The men’s team welcomes Pitt-Greensburg to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Nov. 19, for another non-conference matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.