WASHINGTON, Pa. (Jan. 5) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team traveled north up Interstate 79 to face Washington & Jefferson, which went into Saturday riding a four-game conference winning streak and took PAC-leading Saint Vincent to overtime before falling to the Bearcats. The Yellow Jackets stood tall in the face of several strong runs from the Presidents and came out on top by a final score of 83-76.
The victory vaulted Waynesburg (4-9, 3-2) into a tie for third place in the conference standings. It also snapped a four-game losing streak for the Yellow Jackets and a three-game skid against the Presidents (6-9, 4-2).
The Jackets got out to a fast start by scoring nine of the game's first 11 points. Sophomore guard
Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) put the road team ahead 4-0 before junior guard
Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) tallied the team's next five points.
Baskets from Bozicevic and Popeck, as well as a three-pointer from junior wing
Clay Carper (Avon, Ohio / Lutheran West) grew the Orange and Black lead to 12 points (17-5) with 14:29 remaining in the first half. It was Waynesburg's largest lead of the game.
The Presidents bounced back to take a three-point lead in the latter portions of the period. Junior wing
Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen) retied the game at 39-39 with a three-pointer as the half moved into its final minute. A pair of free throws allowed W&J to take a 41-39 advantage into the locker room.
The second half didn't start well for Waynesburg, which fell behind 51-43 after five minutes of action. The Presidents kept the Jackets at bay for the vast majority of the period, and with 2:39 showing on the scoreboard, Waynesburg trailed 76-70.
Another Bozicevic trey cut his team's deficit in half and a layup by senior wing
Nate Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) made the score 76-75. Bozicevic capped a monster day in the scoring column by dropping in the game-winning layup on a fast break to give Waynesburg the lead at 77-76.
The Jacket defense closed out the victory by forcing a turnover that led to a President foul. Smith knocked down the first of six-straight made Waynesburg free throws to make the score 79-76. Popeck followed with a steal and a pair of foul shots, before he closed out the victory with the game's final foul shots that capped a game-winning 13-0 surge.
"This was a great resilient win for our guys. I was so proud of their effort," said Waynesburg head coach
Mark Christner. "W&J is a much improved team and to come here and finish the game the way we did speaks to the mettle of this group."
Bozicevic racked up a game-high 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including three makes from long range out of six tries. Smith was the picture of efficiency as he tallied 18 points on a six-of-nine performance from the floor. He drilled two-of-three three-pointers and all six of his foul shots.
Popeck chipped in 16 points to the winning effort.
The Waynesburg offense connected on 29-of-60 field goal attempts in the victory, including 11-of-26 three-point attempts. The Jackets were also a perfect 14-of-14 at the charity stripe to raise its PAC-leading average to 77.2 percent.
After knocking off the number-two team in the conference, Waynesburg will look to pull another upset when it hosts perennial PAC powerhouse and league-leading Saint Vincent on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
