Waynesburg drops PAC opener
WAYNESBURG – The start of conference play can be seen as a fresh start for a college basketball team that has struggled to meet expectations during out-of-league games.
There is no doubt the Waynesburg University men’s team was looking forward to its Presidents’ Athletic Conference opener Wednesday night against Thomas More. The Yellow Jackets, who reached the PAC tournament semifinals last season and have four seniors in the starting lineup, were expected to challenge for the league title this year. Waynesburg, however, struggled mightily at times in the nonconference games, losing four of five.
The Yellow Jackets were definitely looking to take a mulligan on the season and the PAC opener came at an opportune time. The only problem was Thomas More didn’t cooperate.
Drew Mumford scored a game-high 22 points and Thomas More stormed back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to defeat Waynesburg 84-74 at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
It was another round of frustration for Waynesburg (0-1, 1-5), which led 47-37 early in the second half, then managed only four field goals over the next 11 minutes.
“We just need to relax and play 40 minutes,” Waynesburg coach Mark Christner said.
When asked if his senior-dominated team is pressing, Christner admitted as much.
“I do,” he said. “We have high expectations. There have been times in games that we’ve been paralyzed when things don’t go our way. We have to fight through it. You can’t play 31 minutes in our league. If you do, then you’re not going to get the result you want. Thomas More played 40 minutes in this game.”
The last 15 minutes were much better than the first 25 for Thomas More (1-0, 3-4). The Saints trailed 39-34 at halftime and the deficit grew to double digits after Waynesburg’s Jacob Fleegle drove for a basket with 17:27 remaining.
The Saints then began playing with more patience on offense, working deeper into the shot clock before looking to score. The results were spectacular as the Saints made four clutch three-pointers, including two on consecutive possessions by reserve guard Daniel Williams that gave Thomas More an 60-54 lead.
“We had to pass the ball better in the second half,” Thomas More coach Drew Cooper said. “The way Waynesburg pressures you on defense, if you shoot early in the shot clock or drive to the basket too early, then it often ends in disaster. That happened too much in the first half. … Waynesburg punked us in the first half.”
The Yellow Jackets panicked in the second half, according to Christner. When something bad happened to Waynesburg, the Yellow Jackets too often tried to make up for it at the other end of the court, often with negative results.
While Thomas More was putting together a 30-9 run that netted a 67-56 lead for the Saints, Waynesburg’s offense was being held to four field goals and nine points over a pivotal 11-minute stretch. The Yellow Jackets couldn’t get a shot to fall, whether it be a fast-break layup, a three-pointer, a shot off a drive or a put-back from an offenmsive rebound.
On the defensive end, Waynesburg had trouble getting out on Thomas More’s three-point shooters or preventing Mumford, Jalen Clark and Nate McGovney from driving to the basket.
The 84 points scored by Thomas More marked the fourth time in six games that Waynesburg has allowed at least 80 points. The Yellow Jackets entered the night last in the PAC in scoring defense and allowing opponents to shot 48 percent. Thomas More shot 54 percent in the second half.
“We have some things to work out defensively,” Christner said. “Some of those numbers are skewed because we haven’t played great offense that led to puts on the other end.”
Thomas More, which received 16 second-half points from Mumford, led by as many as 14 (73-59) in the second half. Waynesburg could get no closer than eight down the stretch.
“We need to play relaxed for 40 minutes,” Christner said. “For 31 minutes, we did a good job of that. We’re still building the resolve to withstand when something doesn’t go well for us.”
McGovney scored 16 points for Thomas More and Clark was a force inside with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Thomas Ellis came off the bench and gave Waynesburg a spark, scoring 17 points and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Guard BJ Durham, who scored 30 points in a game earlier this year against 19th-ranked Calvin, followed with 13 but took only four shots in the second half. Jason Propst had 12 points.
Even with a 1-5 record, Christner is confident that his senior-laden team can rebound.
“Last season is last season. This season is this season. You’re entitled to nothing,” Christner said. “We’ve had elements of games when we’ve played very well, but we haven’t had that consistency. … This group has been through a lot. It’s such a long season. We haven’t played our best yet. We’ll keep on the task of getting better every day.”