Nov 24, 2015 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – There is only one returning starter from last year’s team that won 18 games and made the Presidents’ Athletic Conference semifinals, the schedule has been formidable and, as everybody around here is saying, it’s still only November.

Being 0-4, however, is no fun. The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team didn’t plan to be and should not be winless at this point in the season, but that’s the situation the Yellow Jackets find themselves in today.

“It’s tough. Losing stinks,” Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner said Tuesday night after Frostburg State rallied to beat the Yellow Jackets 68-65 at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

The game wasn’t decided until a three-pointer from the right wing by Waynesburg senior forward D.J. Ritchie was short and bounced off the rim with two seconds remaining.

Waynesburg led by as many as 13 points in the first half before Frostburg State (1-3), which entered the game in the same winless situation as the Yellow Jackets, closed with a flurry to trim its deficit to 37-31 at halftime. Waynesburg, sparked by 10 quick points by senior guard B.J. Durham, pushed its lead back to double digits at 52-38 with 13 minutes remaining.

But as it did in a season-opening overtime loss at Muskingum, Waynesburg was unable to protect a double-digit lead in the second half. Frostburg State rallied again by driving through Waynesburg’s defense to the lane for layups or trips to the free-throw line. The result was the Bobcats outscored Waynesburg 10-2 down the stretch.

“It’s frustrating to not get the results,” Christner said. “There have been two games in which we’ve been the more aggressive team and the better team for the majority of the game. But you have to finish.”

Showing how much Waynesburg did control play, the Yellow Jackets attempted 77 shots compared to only 53 by Frostburg State. The Yellow Jackets’ defense also forced 21 turnovers by the Bobcats.

Though Waynesburg attempted 24 more shots and hammered FSU on the offensive boards with 21 offensive rebounds, the Yellow Jackets shot only 30 percent from the field. The Yellow Jackets made only one field goal in the game’s final four minutes.

“I’m disappointed in myself,” Christner said. “As a coach, when you see you have opportunities to win down the stretch and you don’t, then you say ‘It’s my fault.’ You have to give them the wherewithal to make plays.”

And Waynesburg didn’t make the plays that mattered in the closing minutes. Durham, the team’s lone returning starter, made a three-pointer that gave Waynesburg a 65-62 lead with 2:40 left, but the Yellow Jackets did not score again.

James Peters drove for a basket and made two free throws to give Frostburg only its second lead of the game, 66-65, with 1:29 to play.

Two more free throws by Peters, who came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points, gave the Bobcats a 68-65 advantage with 14.2 seconds left.

Waynesburg wanted to get the ball to Durham, who scored a team-high 18 points – 15 in the second half – for a final shot but he was unable to get open. Ritchie, one of only two returning players who logged significant playing time last season, had to put up a flat-footed three-pointer that missed as time expired.

“Our goal is still to win the PAC,” said Ritchie, an Oakland, Md., native who almost attended Frostburg twice, coming out of high school and Garrett Community College.

“We can still be a good team, but we need to communicate better on the floor. We don’t have a lot of returning guys and we’re finding out how to play together.”

Ritchie finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Nick Smoot, who entered averaging 22 poinst per game, was held to 10. Zaachary Coalman, the Bobcats’ 6-7 center who has the wingspan of a 6-10 guy, had 11 rebounds, blocked four Waynesburg shots and altered a number of others.

“The big thing is we’re not getting the results we want,” Christner said. “The good thing is, this isn’t college football where if you lose one early you’re out of it.”