WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan. 26) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted Westminster on Saturday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with the Titans. The Yellow Jackets battled back from a double-digit halftime deficit, but couldn't close the deal in an 89-78 loss.
 
The majority of the first half was a back-and-forth affair between the two traditional rivals. After multiple lead changes and ties over the first 16:39 of play, Westminster (7-13, 6-6) surged through the end of the period by scoring the final 15 points. By the time the clock stopped the Titan assault, the visiting team found itself with a 43-32 lead.
 
The run picked back up after the halftime break thanks to a Westminster three-pointer that made the score 46-32. Freshman forward Aaron Novad (New Castle, Pa. / Mohawk) finally broke up the scoring binge with a layup 1:28 into the second period.
 
Things looked bleak for Waynesburg (5-14, 4-7) as the visitors grew their advantage to 60-43 with 13:17 left in the game. However, the Jackets made the game competitive again thanks to its most productive stretch of the afternoon.
 
The Orange and Black brought the home crowd back to its feet with a 12-0 surge that included eight points from senior wing Nate Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) on two three pointers and a two-point field goal. By the time junior guard Sam Heeter (New Bethlehem, Pa. / Redbank Valley) capped the run with a layup, Waynesburg was right back in the thick of a 60-55 contest with just under 11 minutes showing on the clock.
 
Unfortunately, that's as close as the home team came to completing the comeback. The Jackets battled until the final buzzer, scoring the last four points of the day on two free throw from sophomore guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) and a field goal from Heeter.
 
The Jackets suffered the loss despite posting some solid all-around numbers. They shot 47 percent (27-of-57) from the floor and 42 percent from three-point range (eight-of-19) The top foul shooting team in the PAC also knocked down 80 percent (16-of-20) of its tries from the stripe.
 
Westminster was just a little better on the day. The visitors shot 52 percent from the field (35-of-67), including an impressive 68 percent in the second half. The Titans also connected on half of their three-point tries (12-of-24).
 
Popeck led all scorers with 20 points, a third of which came on a perfect seven-for-seven outing at the free throw line. Both Gearhart and senior wing Jake Dougherty (New Bethlehem, Pa. / Redbank Valley) reached double digits as reserves. Gearhart went for 14, while Dougherty chipped in 12 on the day.
 
Waynesburg is back in action Wednesday when it hosts Geneva for another PAC matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.