WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Chatham Men's Basketball (16-3, 13-1) fought to an 82-74 road win over the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets (7-12, 5-9) at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Lovenson Xavier, Diaun Pinkett and Simon Boyer combined for 71 of the team's 82 points, including a career-high 33 from Xavier. Xavier was 10-19 from the field and 11-14 from the foul line with eight rebounds. Pinkett scored 20 points and added seven steals, three rebounds and three assists, while Boyer contributed 18 points on 6-14 shooting with two threes. Zavea Green pulled down a career-high 10 boards to go along with three points. Blaine Gartley tallied four points with six rebounds, four steals and two assists. 

Boyer connected on threes for the Cougars' first two baskets of the game, which got them out to a 6-2 lead. Xavier then scored Chatham's next seven as the visitors went up 13-8. Then, after a three from the Yellow Jackets, the Cougars used an 8-2 run, with six points coming from Pinkett, to take a 21-14 lead with 10:44 left in the opening half, but the hosts would storm back with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 23. After a free throw from Boyer, both offenses went quiet for nearly two minutes before two free throws gave Waynesburg their first lead of the night at 5:57. The lead changed hands six times down the stretch of the half, with the Yellow Jackets heading into the break with a 34-30 lead.

Waynesburg scored the first basket of the second half to take a six-point lead, but Xavier brought Chatham back into the driver's seat, scoring all nine points of a 9-2 Cougar run that gave them a one-point advantage. Three more lead changes preceded a 9-2 Chatham run, including a layup from Gartley which marked the first Cougar score of the night from someone other than Boyer, Pinkett or Xavier. Green and Easton Fulmer each joined in on the fun with layups to increase Chatham's lead to eight points. Boyer, Pinkett and Xavier continued to dominate, combining for 11 of 13 points on a 13-6 run that gave the Cougars a 13-point lead with under five minutes to play, which was too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome.

The foul line saw a stark difference in scoring, with the Cougars going 23-34 from the charity stripe, while the Yellow Jackets were just 5-6. Waynesburg outrebounded Chatham 45-34, but the Jackets committed 23 turnovers to just 14 for the Cougars.

Chatham Men's Basketball will hit the court again Saturday with another road matchup at Grove City.