WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 17) – Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup against Geneva began as a celebration for the four members of the Waynesburg University men's basketball team's senior class. Along with honoring that quartet, a freshman standout gave the fans at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse a glimpse of what could be a very promising future as the Yellow Jackets used a big second half to defeat Geneva 86-61.
 
Senior Jon Knab and freshman Matt Popeck were the driving forces behind one of Waynesburg's (10-15, 6-12) most thorough victories of the season. Knab tallied 21 points on eight-of-14 shooting from the floor in his final regular season game at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. He knocked down four three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and swiped four steals.
 
Popeck stole the show from his older teammates, exploding for a game and team-season-high 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting. The freshman from Washington, Pennsylvania's big day on the court produced the most points by a Yellow Jacket since Tim Drakeley went for 35 in January of 2008. Popeck connected on eight-of-13 attempts from three-point range and swiped away five steals in the winning effort.
 
After forging a 37-33 halftime lead, Waynesburg caught fire in period number two. The Jackets wasted little time in distancing themselves from the Golden Tornadoes (11-14, 7-11) by going on a 16-2 run over the first two minutes of the half. Popeck scored 10 of those points, nine of which came on three pointers.
 
Waynesburg's lead swelled to as many as 30 points, before it settled in for a victory that featured some pretty impressive statistical accomplishments. Waynesburg recorded 18 assists, to just seven for Geneva, and piled up 18 steals to the Golden Tornadoes' four swipes.
 
The Jackets also unleashed a three-point barrage that featured 14 makes in 32 attempts, while their perimeter defense limited Geneva to just four treys. Speaking of defense, Waynesburg forced Geneva into 25 turnovers and converted them into 36 points. The Jackets coughed up the ball just 10 times, which led to five GT points.
 
"I thought our resolve and hunger were outstanding today," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "I'm crediting our seniors for having our team ready to go for it and now we get another opportunity in the [PAC] tournament."
 
Another senior honoree, Kendall Paige, contributed eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals to the winning effort.
 
Waynesburg now turns its attention to the 2018 PAC Tournament, which is scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The seventh-seeded Jackets will travel to Bethany to take on the second-seeded Bison. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. For a preview of the tournament, click here.