WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Waynesburg University erased a double-digit halftime deficit as the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team fell by a 72-58 score Wednesday evening in Presidents' Athletic Conference game at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

Both teams were sluggish offensively throughout the night. However, it was the host Yellow Jackets who found life in the second half and used an extended 34-12 run over an 11-plus minute stretch of the second half to roll past the Presidents. 

The loss was highly disappointing for the Presidents, who built a 32-21 lead at halftime over the Jackets. Neither team was firing on all cylinders offensively during the opening 20 minutes of play. The two teams combined for just 25 points over the first 14-plus minutes of the first half. W&J held a 15-10 lead at the 5:42 mark when scoring picked up for the remainder of the half. 
 
Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) accounted for five-straight W&J points as the lead was 20-15 following a three-point play at 4:36 mark. After a basket by Waynesburg trimmed the W&J lead to 22-19 with 3:45 remaining, W&J closed the half with a 10-2 run to take a double-digit lead into halftime. Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) accounted for eight of those 10 points for the Presidents. 
 
Nothing went right for the Presidents over the final 20 minutes. Waynesburg outscored W&J by a 51-26 margin in the second half. The Red and Black made just nine field goals over the final 20 minutes. To make matters worse, W&J went 0-for-4 from three-point range and made just eight-of-20 free throw attempts over the final 20 minutes. 
 
Waynesburg caught fire in the second half. The hosts made 16-of-35 field goal attempts including five three-pointers and converted 14-of-16 free throw attempts (87.5 percent). A pair of Yellow Jackets scored in double figures. Waynesburg was led by Jordan McLoyd, who poured in a game-high 24 points. McLoyd made five-of-10 three-point attempts. Antoine Baker finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for a double double. 
 
The Yellow Jackets seemed to ride the energy of the home crowd following a pair of ejections in the second half. Waynesburg was without the services of PJ Suggs and Jaylen Davis for the majority of the second half. The pair were ejected with 16:10 to play following an offensive foul and an ensuing scuffle. Two technical free throws and a layup by Acosta strengthened the W&J lead to 39-34. However, Waynesburg battled back and regained the lead for good on a layup with 11:51 to play. 
 
Acosta led the Presidents in defeat. The sophomore registered 17 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Acosta added four steals and two blocks in the loss. Seidl was the only other President to score in double figures as he tallied 17 points. For the game, W&J made just two three-point attempts and converted just 47.1 percent (16-of-34) at the free throw line. 
 
W&J will attempt to snap its three-game skid on Saturday, Dec. 2 when they host Bethany College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.