MEADVILLE, Pa. (Nov. 16) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball completed its two-day stay at this weekend's Greg Richard Memorial Classich by facing the host team from Allegheny College on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets got a huge game from senior Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen), but it wasn't enough, as the Gators came away with an 82-62 win.
 
Smith went off for a personal collegiate-best 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He connected on three-of-five three-point attempts and was successful on seven-of-nine foul shots. He added six rebounds and an assist to his night.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) logged his first double-double as a Yellow Jacket with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He added two assists, two steals and a block.
 
Junior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) posted his second-straight double-digit scoring effort with 13 points.
 
Back-to-back treys from Smith and Alonzo gave Waynesburg (0-2) a game-opening 6-0 lead over Allegheny (3-0). That lead grew to 9-2 after Popeck connected from long range 1:51 into the contest.
 
The Jackets maintained their advantage throughout the first 8:16 of play. Allegheny tied the score at 15-15 thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play with 11:44 remaining in the first half. Two minutes later, the Gators hit a go-ahead field goal as part of a 13-0 run that turned Waynesburg's lead into a 25-15 deficit.
 
The Orange and Black got to within five points of the lead (28-23), before halftime, but Allegheny responded to take a 39-25 advantage into the break. The Yellow Jackets pulled to within 11 points of the Gators on several occasions over the final 20 minutes, but were unable to complete their comeback effort.
 
Waynesburg makes its home 2019-20 home debut on Tuesday against Fredonia. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.