Koroly’s first-half surge helps Waynesburg to win over W&J

WAYNESBURG – The first 13 games of his freshman basketball season were not particularly busy or productive for Waynesburg University guard Christian Koroly.
The Trinity High School graduate was averaging only 4.2 points and 13 minutes per game as he adjusted to the college game.
Koroly, however, was thrust into a more than casual role during the first half Wednesday night in the Yellow Jackets’ Presidents’ Athletic Conference game against arch-rival Washington & Jefferson. Koroly responded with his best stretch of basketball with the Yellow Jackets.
Koroly scored all of his team-high 14 points in the first half and they proved pivotal at the end as Waynesburg held off a late charge by W&J and defeated the Presidents, 75-69.
It was Waynesburg’s first win at home over W&J since the 2003-04 season.
Koroly, who made four of six shots in the first half, including three of four from three-point range, helped Waynesburg race to a 19-point lead (40-21) before intermission. The Yellow Jackets’ largest lead was 22 points (55-33) with 14:31 remaining.
Koroly said the 14-point performance, which is his season high, was a result of simply running the offense and taking open shots.
“It was all from within the system,” he said. “We have an established system. We like to share the ball on offense. This is an unselfish group. But, yes, I guess I was feeling it.”
Koroly had originally planned to be playing for W&J this season. But last July, he changed his mind and opted to enroll at Waynesburg.
“This university has my desired major, pre-physical therapy, so it was basically a decision for my future,” Koroly explained.
Even with the big first half, Waynesburg (2-3, 7-7) had to hold off a frantic comeback by W&J (2-3, 6-7). The Presidents, who received a game-high 27 points from Nate Bellhy, trimmed the 22-point deficit to just three (72-69) with 21 seconds to play. The Presidents rattled Waynesburg with a full-court press late in the second half, and the Yellow Jackets made only 14 of 23 free throws after halftime.
The game wasn’t decided until Waynesburg’s E.J. Coleman came up with a steal and sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left.
The Presidents could not overcome shooting only 22 percent from the field in the first half.
“When you’re not making shots, you put a lot of pressure on yourself defensively,” W&J coach Glenn Gutierrez said. “It’s not like we missed all perimeter shots. We were equal opportunity. We missed outside shots, we missed mid-range shots, we missed layups.
“Both teams competed hard and got after it. In the first half, we just couldn’t make a shot.”
For two teams hovering around the .500 mark, the game was intense, spirited and hard-fought, though neither team shot particularly well. Waynesburg shot only 32 percent in the second half, though the Yellow Jackets’ big first half proved to be the difference.
Byrun Louco scored 13 points for Waynesburg. B.J. Durham played well coming off the bench and scored 11 points, and Jacob Fleegle had 10.
Nick Martin gave W&J’s offense a spark in the second half and he finished with 14 points.
“I though the key for us was being proactive early,” Waynesburg coach Mark Christner said. “For the first 30 minutes we were the aggressor. For the last eight or nine minutes (W&J) was.”