FREDONIA, N.Y. (Nov. 20) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team made its second trip to the state of New York in five days on Tuesday when it traveled to Fredonia to face the Blue Devils. The trip turned out to be worth it as the Yellow Jackets scored an 81-78 victory.
 
After averaging 57.5 points over its first two games, Waynesburg (1-2) enjoyed its top offensive showing of the young season. The Yellow Jackets shot 46.4 percent from the floor (26-56) and not only got to the free throw line, but made the trips count by connecting on 21-of-28 foul shots.
 
The Jackets got out to a solid start by building a 7-3 lead. Five of those points came courtesy of a pair of field goals by junior guard Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway). A 10-6 spurt by Fredonia tied the game at 13-13 and set the tone for a back-and-forth first half that featured six lead changes and nine ties.
 
The score was knotted 35-35 with 3:10 remaining in the opening period. A three-pointer by sophomore guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) gave the visiting team a lead it didn't relinquish over the remainder of the half. By the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, the Orange and Black was clinging to a 41-40 edge.
 
The Jackets built a game-high 12-point lead (77-65) with 3:26 left to play in the evening when junior forward Shane Johnson (Shadyside, Ohio / Shadyside) knocked down a three-pointer. Fredonia (0-3) put a bit of a scare into the Jackets with a game-ending 13-4 run, but the Jacket defense came up with one final stop on defense to deny the Devils on a game-tying three-point try.
 
Junior wing Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen) secured the game-ending defensive rebound to close out the night.
 
"Our resolve was great tonight," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "It was tough turning around after making that weekend trip and going right back to New York like that. Knowing we had to hit the road again, we wanted to do a much better job than this past weekend and we did that. The guys had great energy and I'm proud of our resolve."
 
Popeck flashed his honorable mention All-PAC form from last year with a personal and team season-high 27 points on nine-of-19 shooting from the floor. He knocked down three-of-seven three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and dished out a squad-best three assists.
 
Bozicevic enjoyed his most productive game of the year, going for 15 points, nine of which came on a trio of treys. Smith chipped in 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Sophomore center Ben Vitovich (Johnstown, Pa. / Bishop McCort) tied Smith with seven boards and came up with a pair of blocks on defense.
 
Waynesburg out-rebounded Fredonia by a 38-29 margin.
 
The Jackets get to enjoy Thanksgiving, but will be right back to work this weekend, with a trip to the Mt. St. Joseph Tip-off Tournament. They face the host Lions Saturday night, before playing North Park on Sunday afternoon.