GREENVILLE, Pa. (Feb. 19) – It took an overtime period to accomplish, but the Waynesburg University men's basketball team locked down its spot in the upcoming Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs with a win at Thiel on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets and Tomcats battled back-and-forth for 45 tense minutes, with the road team emerging victorious 76-74.
 
Senior guard Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) played a major role in the game's ultimate conclusion. With Waynesburg (5-19, 5-10) trailing 62-59 and just 1:28 showing on the game clock, Bozicevic knocked down a three-pointer to tie the score at 62-62. Roughly a minute later, the Jackets were back in a hole, this time by a 64-62 deficit. Again, it was Bozicevic who answered the call, laying in the field goal that sent the game into overtime.
 
Things didn't look good in the extra period, as Thiel (6-16, 5-10) tallied the first four points to take a 68-64 lead. However, the rest of overtime belonged to the Yellow Jackets, who scored the next nine point on their way to the win.
 
After freshman Briston Bennett (Mt. Morris, Pa. / Trinity Christian) made one-of-two free throws, sophomore Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) scored the next four points on two free throws and a field goal to give his team a 69-68 edge.
 
Bozicevic extended the advantage by converting a steal into a fast break layup, before Alonzo converted two more free throws. Thiel hung around for the final 27 seconds, but a trio of Bennett free throws provided just enough offense to close out the victory that ended Waynesburg's seven-game losing streak.
 
The Jackets led by as many as nine points in the first half, before a strong finish to the first 20 minutes of play by Thiel made the score 34-32 in favor of the visitors at the halftime break. The Tomcats didn't lead in the second half until there was 5:13 remaining in regulation.
 
Wednesday night's showdown featured seven lead changes and seven ties.
 
Alonzo posted his eighth double-double for the season on a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Brennan Smith added 16 points, eight rebounds and a team-high five assists during a highly productive night on the court.
 
Bozicevic and freshman guard Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) both tallied 14 points in the victory. The former added a game-high three steals.
 
The Yellow Jackets shot a respectable 47.3 % from the floor (26-of-55) and made six-of-17 from three-point range. Waynesburg overcame a sizeable 50-37 deficit in the rebounding battle to secure the victory.
 
With Bethany's loss on Wednesday night, the field for the upcoming PAC tournament was set in stone. A Jacket win or a Thiel loss to Geneva gives Waynesburg the number-seven spot in the brackets. The Tomcats take the seventh seed on a combination of a Jacket defeat and a Thiel victory.
 
Saturday's tipoff between Waynesburg and Bethany is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.