LATROBE, Pa. (Jan. 15) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team traveled to Saint Vincent on Wednesday night to face off with the top team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Coming off back-to-back victories that featured comebacks from double-digit halftime deficits, the Yellow Jackets flipped the script by taking big leads to open both the first and second halves.
 
However, the host Bearcats fired back in both periods to force overtime in the chippy, physical battle. Eventually, Waynesburg proved to be the tougher team on the night, as the Jackets outscored Saint Vincent 11-6 in overtime and left the Carey Center with a memorable 73-68 victory.
 
The win was Waynesburg's (3-12, 3-3) first against the Bearcats since 2016, ending a six-game losing streak to the Green and Gold (9-6, 4-2). The Jackets have now won three-straight games, which ties for the longest such active streak in the PAC. The Orange and Black also ended a six-game winning streak for Saint Vincent.
 
Though NCAA men's basketball is played in two 20-minute halves, the game was really broken into four quarters in terms of control. Waynesburg got things going by racing out to an 18-2 lead after 10 minutes of play. Saint Vincent responded by scoring 21 of the half's final 26 points. When halftime rolled around, the Jackets held a 25-23 edge.
 
After the game got back underway, Waynesburg put together another strong start to a period with a 25-10 surge that gave the visitors a game-high 17-point lead (50-33). Once again, the Bearcats fired back in front of a vocal home crowd, not just tying the game, but picking up their first lead at 57-56.
 
The home team expanded its edge to 59-56 following a pair of free throws. Back-to-back field goals by freshman guards Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) and Briston Bennett (Mt. Morris, Pa. / Trinity Christian) put the Jackets back ahead 60-59. Both teams had a chance to put the game away down the stretch, but, while far from all of those free chances for points missed the mark, the Bearcats managed to connect on a pair of foul shots with 23 seconds showing on the clock to tie the game at 62 and send the contest into overtime.
 
The night's five minutes of overtime were far from pretty, but the Jacket defense did enough to hold the Bearcats to a free throw and two field goals. Waynesburg's offense, on the other hand, was held without a basket. However, seniors Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen) and Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway delivered on 11-of-12 free throw attempts to give their team the victory. Smith was successful on all eight of his tries from the charity stripe.
 
The Jackets out-rebounded Saint Vincent by a 6-2 margin in the extra period. Waynesburg managed to grab the win despite attempting just one field goal and holding SVC to two-of-eight from the floor. However, the victors knocked down 11-of-12 from the foul line. The Bearcats made just one-of-four attempts from the stripe.
 
Thanks to his strong finish to the night, Smith racked up a game-high 27 points. He added five rebounds and five assists over 41 minutes on the floor. Bozicevic, who also played 41 minutes in the win, chipped in 20 points, 12 of which came on a four-of-eight effort from three-point range.
 
Though he only played 27 minutes before fouling out, sophomore Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) posted his fourth double-double of the year on 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Waynesburg will look for its fourth-straight victory on Saturday, when Thiel comes to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.