BEREA, Ohio - Junior guard Luke Schaefer's (Medina) career-high 27 points led the Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team to an 81-63 Ohio Athletic Conference victory over Muskingum University, inside Urpsrung Gymnasium, at the Lou Higgins Center.
BW (4-3, 2-1 OAC) was led by Schaefer, who shot 10-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Drew Sova (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) poured in 12 off 5-of-7 from the field, and grabbed five rebounds. Senior forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) chipped in 10, grabbed six boards and distributed two assists.
Muskingum (2-3, 0-1 OAC) was led by junior guard Marcus Dempsey who had a game-high 31 points. Sophomore guard Trey Singleton contributed 11 and snagged four boards.
Junior guard Matt Dimitrijevs (Broadview Heights/Brecksville Broadview Heights) broke the games two minute and 25 second scoring drought with a layup at 17:35. The two teams tied at two, seven and ten until a trey from Schaefer gave BW a 13-10 advantage at 14:12. The Muskies answered with a 5-0 run to take a 15-13 lead before freshman guard Anthony Mazzeo (North Canton/Massillon Jackson) gave the Yellow Jackets a 16-15 advantage with a three at 11:44. Muskingum retaliated with a layup at 10:23, which was followed by a Muskingum timeout. Senior Academic All-OAC forward Jack Lostoski (Uniontown/Lake) gave BW back the lead of 18-17 with a steal and fast break layup at 9:52. The squads tied at 18 before the Muskies established a 24-22 lead with 4:05 left in the first half. The Yellow Jackets tied the game up at 24 with a layup from senior guard Zach Cebula (Brunswick) at 3:26. Muskingum came back down the floor and sank a layup to take a 26-24 lead. On the following possession, Sova slammed a dunk to tie the game up at 26 all with 2:22 left in the stanza. Both teams went into halftime tied up at 28.
Both teams scored five points over the first 2:19 to open the second half. Singleton made a jump shot to that lifted Muskingum over BW, 35-33, before the Yellow Jackets claimed the lead back with a deep ball from Cebula. After a Sova layup, the Muskies tied the game up at 38 with three free throws, with 15:07 left in regulation. The Yellow Jackets established their first double-digit lead of 53-43 with a 15-5 spurt at 9:23. BW went on a 16-10 run, capped off with a Schaefer jumper, which would eclipse his previous career-high of 19 points. The Yellow Jackets closed the game out with an 11-10 run to secure the OAC victory.
BW opens up a three-game non-conference stretch that begins with Trine (Ind.) University on Wednesday December, 18. After the holidays, the Yellow Jackets compete in the McDonalds of Bluffton Holiday Classic, hosted by Bluffton University on Saturday December, 28 and Sunday December, 29.
