By: Athletic Communications Student Assistant AJ Schultz '27

NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team was defeated in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup against Muskingum University by a score of 76-67 in Performance Arena inside the Anne C. Steele Center.

BW Leaders (5-12, 2-8 OAC)

• Sophomore guard Ray Ellington (Westlake) recorded his eleventh 20+ point game of the season by scoring 21 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds
• Freshman guard Titus Baskerville IV (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) added 13 points thanks to an efficient 3-4 from beyond the arc 
• Sophomore guard Myles Reynolds (Cleveland/St. Edward) chipped in with eight points off the bench

Muskingum Leaders (5-12, 1-9 OAC)

• Senior forward Luken Hill recorded a double-double with 22 points and twelve rebounds while also dishing out four assists and recording five steals 
• Freshman guard Owen Emig tallied 22 points as well including a pair of baskets from behind the arc
• Sophomore guard Duane Davis added nine points and five rebounds while playing solid defense throughout the entire game

First Half (MU, 39-30)

• Freshman forward AJ Pestello (Cuyahoga Falls/Stow-Munroe Falls) got the scoring started with a layup on the Yellow Jackets' opening possession
• At the 15:31 mark, Ellington made a layup to extend the lead to 9-4
• BW fell behind but recaptured the lead on a triple by freshman forward Andrew Griffith (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) with nine minutes left in the half
• In the half's final minutes, the Fighting Muskies took advantage of some BW miscues to go on a 10-2 run

Second Half (MU, 76-67)

• Junior forward Jarred Logan (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) recorded the first points in the half on two made shots from the charity stripe
• The Yellow Jackets started to get hot in the opening minutes and cut the Muskingum lead to 43-42 when BW senior forward Rob Watson III (Sagamore Hills/Nordonia) made a jump shot
• As both teams exchanged baskets, the Fighting Muskies grabbed three offensive rebounds in one possession resulting in a Muskingum layup to give them the 56-50 lead
• Ellington and the Yellow Jackets did not back down as they once again cut the lead to one with a layup of his own at the 4:53 mark
• A few timely baskets, a cold stretch by BW, and consistent makes from the free-throw line allowed the Muskies to pull away down the stretch to achieve their first conference win of the season

The Yellow Jackets return to the hardwood on Wednesday, January 24 as they host an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup against No. 15 nationally ranked University of Mount Union in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center at 7 p.m.