Three days following a very contested battle against PAC leading Chatham, the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets were on the road to take on fellow conference opponent, Alleghany College. Similar to Wednesday nights showing, it was a tight contest with a similar result, as Waynesburg would drop this bout as well 71-66.

Yet another similarity that this brought when in comparison to the Chatham matchup was the amount of lead changes, with there being 12 throughout Wednesday night, while the Saturday afternoon matchup brought 11 ties and lead changes throughout, and as indicated by the score, this trend was constant with there never being a double-digit lead for either team. Despite this being something that may indicate optimism considering neither of these games were out of reach, head coach, Tim Fusina sees it as a point of emphasis for his athletes to work on. 

“There is a very small gap between us and the rest of the league. However, we have not played a complete game yet and it is February. That’s a huge problem and the difference between having seven wins and having twelve wins,” Fusina said, while also making note that this inconsistency was prevalent in the Chatham matchup. “We were also up six early in the second half and got down as much as 16. I would say that is the way our year has gone.”

Although this matchup against Allegany has grad-student Antone Baker stand out on the stat sheet with a team leading 26 points, senior PJ Suggs was noted for helping give the Jackets the lead going into the half, and was also a focal point that Fusina noted when mentioning his key plays in the Chatham game which included a rundown block on the backboard in the first half.

“PJ is able to make plays on either end any time he wants” Fusina said. 

With possibly just five matchups left on the season, Fusina knows how long the season is, and is doing everything he has done for years of coaching to make sure his guys are primed to be as healthy as possible for the final stretch.

“It’s a long season. No one that plays at this level is 100% healthy right now. You manage it the best you can with shorter practices, holding guys out who played big minutes the night before or guys that are banged up” Fusina said. 

The Yellow Jackets are back on the court for a home tipoff on Wednesday, Feb. 5, against Westminster, whom Waynesburg is looking to sweep following their 72-60 victory against the Titans on Dec. 16.