WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 3) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team found itself in a 15-point hole with just 14:32 remaining in Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with Westminster and looked like it was doomed to suffer a ninth-straight loss. However, the Yellow Jackets didn't give in to the daunting task ahead of them and wound up scoring a crucial 88-86 victory over the Titans to better its position for the upcoming PAC playoffs.
 
After a tightly contested first half that saw Westminster (15-6, 9-5) take a 44-41 lead into the break, senior forward Marcus Wallace knocked down a pair of free throws to pull the Jackets (8-13, 4-10) to within a point of the lead at 44-43. Those foul shots made up half of Wallace's game total. The other two would be much more memorable.
 
Westminster proceeded to gain firm control of the contest by outscoring Waynesburg 18-4 over the first five minutes of the half to take a 62-47 lead. Not surprisingly, senior Jon Knab, one of the true leaders of the Jackets, started the comeback with an impressive series showcasing both his defensive and offensive prowess. After blocking a Titan shot, Knab raced back down the court and knocked down a three-pointer.
 
A short time later, Waynesburg strung together 10-straight points to trim its deficit to 64-60 with 10:42 showing on the game clock. Knab collected five of those points, while freshman guard Matt Popeck connected on two foul shots and sophomore guard Frank Bozicevic drained a three-pointer.
 
Westminster regained a double-digit lead following the Waynesburg surge, and maintained multi-basket advantages throughout the majority of the half, but was only up 84-79 with 2:30 left to play. It was at this point the game that the Jackets were finally able to turn the tide and grab the advantage against the visitors.
 
Knab got things rolling again with a two-point field goal, which was followed by a pair of Popeck free throws. After Knab grabbed the defensive rebound on the ensuing Westminster possession, Popeck knocked down a trey to finally push the Orange and Black ahead 86-84 with 39 seconds left to play.
 
The Titans didn't go away quietly and tied the game up 30 seconds later. However, Wallace came up with his biggest hoop of the season, slashing to the basket and hitting the game-winning layup off a feed from Bozicevic with four seconds to go. The Titans had one more possession in the game, but turned the ball over, giving the victory to the Jackets.
 
"Our guys showed tremendous resolved today. Being down by 15 in the second half, I loved the competitive spirit we showed to get back in it and give us a chance," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "It's important to trust your players and play together."
 
Waynesburg's offense was powered by the two-man show of Popeck and Knab. The Jackets' rookie standout set a new personal collegiate best with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Not only was it the highest scoring output by a Waynesburg player this season, but the most put up by a Jacket since November of 2014.
 
He went four-of-eight from three-point range and connected on all six of his free throws. Popeck also tied for the game lead with four assists and swiped two steals.
 
Knab added 24 points on the afternoon with half of those coming on four successful three-pointers. He also grabbed five rebounds. Freshman forward Ben Vitovich paced his team on the boards with eight rebounds.
 
The Jackets will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 7, when they welcome Chatham to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for a PAC clash. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.