WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 6) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team found itself in a 13-point halftime hole against Bethany during Wednesday night's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The Yellow Jackets righted the ship and cut its deficit down to just a single point in the second half, but couldn't quite finish the comeback, as the Bison came out on top by the final score of 73-65.
 
Waynesburg (1-5, 1-2) watched Bethany (3-5, 3-0) fire up 38 field goal attempts in the first half and connected on 16 of them, while Waynesburg knocked down nine-of-25 attempts. The disparity led to a 34-21 Bison lead at the time of the halftime break.
 
The visiting team still held a double-digit advantage (48-38) with 11:28 showing on the second-half clock. Back-to-back three-pointers by junior wing Nate Gearhart and freshman guard Matt Popeck pulled the home team to within four points of the lead (48-44) with just under 10 minutes left to play. Senior wing Jon Knab's layup cut the deficit down to a single basket.
 
Waynesburg stayed within striking distance of the lead for most of the remainder of the night and a combined three free throws by Knab and Popeck made the score 58-57 Bethany with 3:12 showing on the clock.
 
Unfortunately for the home team, the Bison tallied the next four points and six of the next seven to grab control of the game. Multiple trips to the foul line allowed Bethany's lead to grow to 11 over the final seconds of the contest. Popeck dropped in a buzzer-beating layup to bring about the final score.
 
"It was a hard-fought PAC game tonight. You play the game to have an opportunity at the end," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "We gave ourselves that chance and just fell short. I liked the tenacity and togetherness we displayed in the second half."
 
Popeck paced the Jacket offense with a game-high 25 points over 35 minutes. Knab chipped in 15 points, while Gearhart contributed 13 points over 22 productive bench minutes.
 
Waynesburg actually posted a better field goal percentage than Bethany (40.4 percent to 37.7 percent). It also boasted advantages beyond the arc and at the free throw line. However, Bethany attempted 12 more field goals and 12 more foul shots.
 
The Jackets are back in action on Saturday, when they host Thiel for a PAC matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.