NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Despite a career day from junior guard Luke Schaefer (Medina), the Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team suffered an Ohio Athletic Conference defeat to Muskingum University, 83-73 on the Performance Court, inside the Anne C. Steele Center.
BW (11-8 overall, 7-5 OAC) was led by Schaefer's career-high 31 points. Schaefer went 11-of-20 from the field and 5-of-9 from behind the arc with four rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Drew Sova (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) seized his seventh career double-double with an 11 rebound, 10 point performance. Off the bench, junior guard Matt Dimitrijevs (Broadview Heights/Brecksville Broadview Heights) dropped 10 while senior two-time Academic All-OAC guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick) led the game with five assists.
Muskingum (8-11 overall, 3-9 OAC) was led by junior guard Marcus Dempsey, who led the game with 42 points. Junior guard Alex Masinelli contributed 16 points and 14 boards, while junior forward Tyler Bardall pitched in 14.
BW drops to 56-58 in the all-time series with Muskingum and are 3-3 in New Concord in the last six years.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to an 18-10 advantage at the 14:02 mark after a layup from freshman guard Jake Snyder (Akron/Archbishop Hoban). The Muskies responded with a 9-0 run to take a 19-18 lead at 11:48. The two teams traded the lead four times over the next two minutes until they tied at 24 apiece with 9:01 left in the first half. A trey from Schaefer gave BW a 27-24 lead before Muskingum closed out the stanza with an 18-5 spurt and headed into the locker room with a 42-32 lead.
The Yellow Jackets trimmed the lead to 49-45 with a 13-7 spurt to start the second half. The Muskies extended their advantage to 59-48 with a 10-3 run at the 9:48 mark. BW cut the lead to 62-56 after an 8-4 run with 7:12 left in the second. Muskingum answered with a 10-2 run to establish a 72-58 lead with 4:29 remaining in regulation. The Yellow Jackets battled back to cut the led to 78-73 with under a minute in the second half. The Muskies closed the game out with five free-throws and secured the 83-73 victory.
The Yellow Jackets return home to host Ohio Northern University on Wednesday February, 5. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
