NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The No. 22-nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team fell to Muskingum University 91-78 in an Ohio Athletic Conference game on Performance Court.
BW (4-2, 1-1 OAC) had three players score in double figures led by senior All-OAC forward Jake Fetherolf (Norwalk) who recorded the 21st double-double of his career with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Junior All-OAC guard Jay Battle (Gahanna/Lincoln) scored 17 points while senior three-time All-OAC guard Cam Kuhn (Vermillion) added 12 points of his own.
Muskingum (3-4, 2-1 OAC) had four players score in double digits led by Marcus Dempsey who had a game-high 33 points. Jarrell Marsh scored 15 points while Brandon Keyes and Devon Peart each scored 11 points.
Following a quick start by the Fighting Muskies, the Yellow Jackets found their rhythm and started the game 6-of-10 from the floor thanks to the combination of Fetherolf and Battle. BW eventually built to a 10-point lead at the 10:00 mark off a layup from sophomore guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick), the reigning OAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week. The Yellow Jackets continued to play with a double-digit lead; however, Dempsey singlehandedly kept Muskingum in the game with 24 first half points and cut the lead down to 38-33 when he drilled a three-pointer with 2:41 remaining in the half. Kuhn and Quiring combined for eight points down the stretch to take a 46-39 lead into halftime.
In the first five minutes of the second half, Muskingum cut even further into the Yellow Jacket lead, making it a two point game at 51-49 and eventually tied it at 55-55 at the 13:03 mark. Fetherolf countered with a three-pointer of his own to regain a three-point BW advantage. Muskingum gained its first lead since early in the first half with a layup at the 11:43 mark and continued to build to a seven-point advantage, forcing BW to take a timeout with 6:57 remaining. After over a minute of scoreless basketball, sophomore forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) made the first of his two free throws to make the score 72-66 in favor of Muskingum with 5:04 remaining but the Fighting Muskies made a jumper on the ensuing possession. The eight point lead quickly became a double-digit lead off a three-pointer by Rashay Douglas at the 3:27 mark. Seven points by Battle down the stretch kept the Yellow Jackets within 10 points but BW still trailed 87-78 with 41.2 seconds left and had to foul in order to stop the clock. However, Muskingum shot 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.
The Yellow Jackets return to action on Thursday, December 14 when they travel to Tiffin for an OAC game against Heidelberg University in Seiberling Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
