WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 17) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team raced out to a 12-point lead to open its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with Washington & Jefferson on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets were unable to hold off the visiting Presidents, as they came all the way back to deal the home team a devastating 80-77 loss.
 
After W&J (3-13, 2-7) scored on the first possession of the game, Waynesburg (7-9, 3-6) roared back by scoring the next 14 points over five-plus minutes of action. Four different Yellow Jackets scored during the surge. Freshman guard Matt Popeck and junior wing Nate Gearhart led the charge with five points each during the run.
 
The Jackets never trailed throughout the remainder of the first half and took a 38-32 advantage into the break. Waynesburg maintained multi-basket leads until there was just under five minutes left to play in the contest. However, the Presidents began a game-deciding 11-0 surge with 5:37 showing on the game clock that turned a six-point Jacket edge into Washington & Jefferson's first lead (72-67) since the game's opening basket.
 
Waynesburg pulled to within a single basket of the lead on multiple occasions over the final three minutes of play, but it was never able to pull back ahead of its conference rival. The Jackets got one last shot at victory after the Presidents missed a pair of game-clinching free throws with three seconds left on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, they were unable to find the bottom of the basket with a game-tying three-point attempt, and the heart-breaking league showdown came to a close.
 
"This was a tough one to lose. Our concentration lapses on defense in the second half really hurt us," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "It's on us to collectively decide on how this season will go. There's still lots of basketball to be played and I still believe this this group can get better."
 
Popeck played a big role in Waynesburg's early success, scoring 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half. He shot nine-of-16 from the floor and connected on a trio of three-pointers.
 
Gearhart and senior wing Jon Knab chipped in 12 points each on the night, while sophomore guard Frank Bozicevic added nine, all of which came from three-point range.
 
Both teams were productive from long range, with Waynesburg making 10 three-pointers and W&J hitting on 11 treys. The big difference between the two squads came at the foul line, where the Jackets made just seven-of-13 attempts. W&J, on the other hand, was 17-of-28 from the charity stripe.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 20, when it travels to Bethany for a PAC meeting with the Bison. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.