GREENVILLE, Pa. (Jan. 27) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team traveled to Thiel on Saturday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with Thiel on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets led into the second half, but the Tomcats came back to score a 73-68 win.
 
Baskets by senior forward Marcus Wallace, freshman forward Ben Vitovich and senior wing Jon Knab allowed the Jackets (7-12, 3-9) to open up a 6-1 lead. After falling behind 14-10, Waynesburg fired back with a 14-0 run to build a game-high 10-point advantage at 24-14.
 
The Jackets never trailed for the remainder of the half and went into the locker room with a 39-31 advantage. A jumper by freshman guard Matt Popeck bumped Waynesburg's lead back up to 10 at 41-31. However, Thiel bounced back with a 14-3 surge that allowed the Tomcats to take the lead at 45-44.
 
A pair of free throws by sophomore wing Clay Carper gave the advantage back to Waynesburg at 46-45 and set off a short stretch of lead exchanges by the two teams. Thiel eventually went ahead for good with 11:12 showing on the game clock. Waynesburg's deficit was never more than six points over that final stretch of play, but the Tomcats were able to keep the Jackets at bay to close out the victory.
 
One of the biggest reasons for Thiel's latest win was a major advantage at the free throw line, where the Tomcats connected on 26-of-33 attempts. The Jackets, on the other hand, managed just 15 makes on 23 tries.
 
Waynesburg out-rebounded its opponents by a 41-31 advantage.
 
"I thought our guys responded positively today. We rebounded better today than we have in a few weeks," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "It's tough, but our guys believed they could win and if we stick with what we are doing, we'll see results."
 
Knab and sophomore guard Frank Bozicevic tied for the team lead with 12 points each on the day. Wallace was Waynesburg's only other double-digit scorer on the day, though junior wing Nate Gearhart contributed nine points and a contest-best seven rebounds in the setback.
 
Waynesburg returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 31, with a key PAC home game against Saint Vincent. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.