CLEVELAND, Ohio – Freshman guard Julien Person (Houston, Texas/Second Baptist) scored a career-high 16 points as the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team matched the best 10-game start in school history with a 69-51 victory versus Waynesburg University (Pa.) on day one of the 2011 Bill Sudeck Holiday Tournament on Thursday at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

The Spartans, winners of seven in a row, improve to 8-2 overall and match the 2005-06 squad for the best start in program history. Case returns to action in the tournament championship game tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. versus John Carroll University. The Blue Streaks defeated Regis College (Mass.), 86-60, in the other day one game.

Person's 16 points were accompanied by four assists and three rebounds. Freshman forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) and junior forward Austin Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./Birmingham Brother Rice) each scored 12, while sophomore center David Thompson (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Case got out of the gate quick with a 10-1 run culminating in a Thompson jumper at 16:12. The lead grew 12, at 18-6, following a three-pointer by junior guard Robert Scott (Paoli, Pa./Conestoga) at 10:39. Waynesburg then came back with an 8-3 run to pull within seven, at 21-14, when Lou Galante hit a triple with eight minutes left in the half, but the Spartans finished on an 18-8 run and moved ahead 39-22 when McLoughlin nailed a fade away at the buzzer.

In the second half, Case's lead never dipped below 13 and grew to a high of 23, at 57-34, when freshman guard Joe Mims (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) hit a layup with 10:53 left to play.

Waynesburg (2-9) was led by Larry Alexander with 12 points.  

Following tomorrow's game versus JCU, the Spartans open University Athletic Association play on Saturday, January 7 versus rival Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) at 5:00 p.m. at Horsburgh Gymnasium.