GROVE CITY, Pa. (Dec. 4) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Wednesday with a road trip to Grove City. The Yellow Jackets were within striking distance of an upset win at halftime, but the Wolverines pulled away in the second period for a 73-45 victory.
 
Senior guard Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) led the Waynesburg (0-7, 0-1) offense with 13 points on five-of-eight shooting. He was particularly efficient from long range, where he connected on three-of-four three-point attempts. Senior Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen) chipped in eight points, while freshman Briston Bennett (Mt. Morris, Pa. / Trinity Christian) had his best day as a collegiate player with a team-best six rebounds.
 
The biggest reason for the Grove City (3-5, 1-0) win was its defense, which forced 28 turnovers, 15 of which came on steals. Waynesburg, which was the top free throw shooting team in the PAC coming into the night, struggled to get to the stripe, where it went just four-for-six in the loss.
 
The night started well for Waynesburg, which took an early 7-2 lead on a game-opening three pointer by freshman Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg), a layup by sophomore Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) and field goal by Bozicevic.
 
The Jackets' final lead of the contest came with 15:37 remaining in the first half thanks to a three-pointer from senior Cam Auld (North Huntingdon, Pa. / Norwin). That trey put the visitors up 10-8, but Grove City played the rest of the half with a 22-11 advantage. The Wolverines went into the break holding a 30-21 edge.
 
Waynesburg whittled its deficit down to seven points 4:55 into the second half. However, the home team exploded for a 19-0 surge that made the score 57-31 with 9:51 left on the clock, effectively sealing the Wolverine victory.
 
Waynesburg is back in action Saturday, when it travels to Chatham for another PAC contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.