WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 16) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hosted Westminster Monday evening in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup. The Yellow Jackets battled back and forth with the Titans, with the two teams trading leads until 14:23 left in the second half. From that point on, Westminster controlled the contest and eventually settled for an 85-74 decision over Waynesburg.
Waynesburg (0-8, 0-2) and Westminster (6-3, 1-1) battled neck-and-neck in the first half, which featured six lead changes. The biggest advantage either team had in the opening 20 minutes was six points, which the Yellow Jackets had just over five minutes into the contest and the Titans had with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Westminster eventually took a 35-33 lead into halftime.
The beginning of the second half was more of the same, with five more lead changes in the first six minutes. Waynesburg's final lead of the contest came with 14:38 left in the second half after freshman guard
Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) hit a three-pointer to give the Yellow Jackets a 44-43 advantage.
From that point forward, Westminster took control of the contest and eventually built leads as large as 13 points before the game came to its 85-74 final. The Yellow Jackets' 74 points were the most they've scored in a game this season.
Sophomore forward
Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) was an integral part of Waynesburg's upset bid on the evening, recording 26 points on 11-18 shooting. He also pulled down four rebounds, dished out two assists and had a block in the contest. Senior guard
Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) added 21 points of his own on six-of-15 shooting from the field, in addition to a perfect six-for-six on free throw attempts. Senior forward
Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W. Va. / Oak Glen) chipped in 16 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Turnovers proved to be a significant difference in the game, with Waynesburg committing 20 compared to Westminster's 14. The Titans also scored 22 points off those turnovers, whereas the Yellow Jackets scored 10 off turnovers.
Waynesburg had its best game of the season from a shooting standpoint, connecting on 27-of-56 field goals (48.2 percent), which was its most field goals made and highest shooting percentage this season. The Jackets' eight-for-15 (53.3 percent) performance from three-point range was also its best of the season.
The Yellow Jackets will be back in action Wednesday, Dec. 18, when they travel to New Concord, Ohio to take on Muskingum in a non-conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
