WAYNESBURG, Pa. – February 24, 2021 – After facing an 18-point halftime deficit and trailing by as many as 21, the Chatham men's basketball team clawed back in the second half and escaped Waynesburg with a 66-64 road victory. The second consecutive win put Chatham above .500 with a 4-3 record.
After the first seven minutes of the game went back-and-forth, the Yellow Jackets ripped off two runs of 14-0 and 11-0 to take a commanding 43-25 halftime lead. First-year
Simon Boyer nailed a half-court shot at the buzzer to cut the gap to 18 and give Chatham the spark it needed in the second half.
Chatham didn't have any lengthy runs like Waynesburg did, but the Cougars clamped down defensively. After shooting .533 in the first half, including a 6-8 line from deep, the Yellow Jackets made just five shots in the entire second half and were held to just .167 shooting.
The outstanding defense did just enough for Chatham to tie the game late in the half and finally take the lead with 2:54 left off of a
Brandon Lavernia layup. After Waynesburg tied the game at 63 on the ensuing possession, junior
Ben Pollock found his way to the free throw line and made one of his two free throw attempts. Senior
Malik Potter added two more free throws in the final nine seconds for good measure.
Before Waynesburg could run a play with four seconds left, Lavernia fouled out but forced two Waynesburg free throws instead of a three-point chance. The Yellow Jacket made one-of-two, and the ensuing three-point attempt was missed, securing the victory for the visiting Cougars.
Chatham outshot Waynesburg .377 to .350 thanks to the stellar defensive in the second half despite losing the rebounding battle 49-38. Chatham countered by winning the turnover battle 14-11.
Sophomore
Marcos Cintron led Chatham with 17 points. Senior
Malik Potter was second with a dozen points and was a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. First-year
Simon Boyer scored 11 points, while Pollock finished the game with a double-double, scoring 10 points and ripping down 12 rebounds.
With two games left in the regular season, Chatham heads to Westminster on Saturday, February 27 for a 1:30 PM tip.
