WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 28) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play by hosting Grove City on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets locked horns with the Wolverines in a physical battle that ultimately ended with the home team coming out on the right end of an 81-71 final score.
 
Waynesburg (2-4, 1-0) matched its season high for points in a game, and a big reason for that success was the play of its bench. The Jacket reserves outscored their counterparts by a 33-13 margin.
 
The Orange and Black also had its best day at the free throw line this this year. The Jackets knocked down a whopping 30-of-39 free throws (77 percent). That success was crucial to the win, as Grove City (2-3, 0-1) connected on 16-of-26 foul shots.
 
The opening minutes of the contest were anything but pretty, as both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm. After nine minutes of play, both teams had managed just one converted field goal each, making up four of the game's first 17 points. The other 13 came from the foul line.
 
With six minutes remaining in the first half, Grove City held a slim 20-19 edge. However, it was at that point of the evening that momentum began to swing into Waynesburg's favor. Four different Jackets scored as part of an 8-0 run that lasted just under three minutes. Senior wing Nate Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) knocked down a three-pointer as part of the surge that put the Jackets ahead 27-20.
 
Waynesburg maintained its single-digit leads throughout the remainder of the opening period. Freshman Zach Ford (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) dropped in a buzzer-beating layup that gave the Jackets a 37-31 lead heading into the locker room.
 
The host squad never trailed in the second half, but a Grove City rally tied the score at 50-50 with 9:15 showing on the game clock. The score did not stay deadlocked for long, as sophomore guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) sparked an 11-1 Waynesburg rally in which he scored seven points on a trio of field goals.
 
Waynesburg held multi-basket leads throughout the remainder of the contest. Waynesburg University head coach Mark Christner was obviously pleased with a hard-fought victory. However, in a year where the PAC could be as wide open as ever, he knows there is still more work to be done throughout the season.
 
"Our competitive spirit and resolve were at very high levels tonight," Christner said. "Our league will be wild and wooly this season. We need to keep on building."
 
Popeck registered his second game of 20 points or more by recording a team-high 21 points. Nearly half of that output came from a perfect 10-for-10 showing at the charity stripe. He also swiped away a game-high five steals.
 
Gearhart was the driving force behind the outstanding showing of Waynesburg's bench. The veteran gunner poured in 19 points over 24 minutes. He knocked down seven-of-10 field goals, including three-of-five tries from three-point range. Gearhart also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
 
Junior guard Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) posted his third double-digit scoring effort in four games after chipping in 13 points on five-of-10 shooting from the floor.
 
Waynesburg earned the win despite being outrebounded by the Wolverines by a 38-27 margin. The Jackets did a better job of protecting the basketball, committing 13 turnovers to GCC's 19, 11 of which came off Waynesburg steals.
 
The Jackets will try to make it two-straight conference wins on Saturday, when Chatham comes to town. Waynesburg tips off against the Cougars at 3:30 p.m.