WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 7) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team welcomed Chatham to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets came out on the right end of a high energy, high emotion contest with a 75-62 win.
 
The Cougars (6-16, 3-12) posted the first two baskets of the evening, before the Jackets (9-13, 5-10) responded with a big run that gave them a lead that they never relinquished. Five different Jackets scored during a 16-2 surge that lasted around 5:40 and put the home team ahead 16-6. The highlight of that span was a thunderous two-handed dunk thrown down by freshman forward Ben Vitovich.
 
Waynesburg's lead grew to as many as 17 points (36-19) in the first half, before the Jackets went to the locker room up 36-22. The Orange and Black maintained double-digit advantages throughout the entirety of the second half. The Jackets led by as many as 21 points (73-52) with 4:25 showing on the game clock.
 
"This was a great team win for us tonight. We had some different challenges, but our guys rose to meet them," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner. "Our defense, for much of the game, was on point and we've been playing some pretty good offense lately."
 
Senior wing Jon Knab knocked down seven-of-12 field goals to power a team-high 17-point effort. Freshman guard Matt Popeck chipped in 15 points, seven of which came at the free throw line.
 
Sophomore guard Frank Bozicevic scored 11 points off the bench. Junior wing Nate Gearhart was a perfect three-for-three from three-point range while picking up nine points on the night. Vitovich's two-handed slam highlighted a six-point, five-rebound, three-block performance. Senior forward Marcus Wallace chipped in eight points to the win.
 
A big key to Waynesburg's latest triumph was its shooting efficiency. The Jackets shot 56 percent (28-50) from the floor and connected on nine-of-16 three-point tries. Chatham converted 20-of-58 of its field goals and just six-of-30 treys.
 
The Yellow Jackets hit the road on Saturday, when they travel to Thomas More for a 3 p.m. PAC contest.