PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Feb. 25) – After what happened to the Waynesburg University men's basketball team over the first half of Tuesday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) first-round playoff game at Chatham, it would have been easy for the Yellow Jackets to just pack it in and get ready for the offseason. However, despite falling behind 44-23 at halftime, the visitors gave the defending conference champions all they could handle in the second half.
 
Unfortunately, the Cougars' potent three-point attack had just enough left in it to quell a memorable Waynesburg comeback try, as second-seeded Chatham defeated the seventh-seeded Jackets 72-64. The loss ended Waynesburg's season with a final record of 6-20.
 
Chatham (17-9) raced out to a 21-point halftime lead after shooting 53 percent from the floor (17-of-32) and from three-point range (nine-of-17). It didn't help matters that the Waynesburg offense struggled to find its footing, connecting on just seven-of-30 field goal tries (23 percent) and three-of-nine three-point attempts (33 percent).
 
Whatever adjustments head coach Tim Fusina and assistant AJ Uhl made at halftime were clearly the right ones, as Waynesburg roared out of the locker room with the first 11 points of the period. The Jackets really made things interesting when a 6-0 stretch made the score 47-43 in favor of the home team.
 
Unfortunately, the Jackets never got closer than that four-point deficit to pulling off the comeback. A jumper by senior Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen) with 4:21 showing on the game clock again pulled Waynesburg to within four points of the Cougars at 60-56.
 
Chatham sealed the win with a 10-2 spurt that widened its advantage to 12 points (70-58) with just under a minute remaining the contest. Smith closed out his memorable Waynesburg career by tipping in the game's final two points with 13 seconds on the clock.
 
Obviously, Waynesburg turned things around over the final 20 minutes of competition by knocking down 14-of-30 shots from the floor and 11-of-12 free throws. The Jackets also dominated Chatham on the boards over that time period, 23-12.
 
Smith put together a fantastic finale to his collegiate career by piling up 19 points and eight rebounds in the second half alone. He shot seven-of-eight on field goals and drilled all four of his foul shots.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) was as almost as good as Smith in the second half and gave Waynesburg fans plenty to look forward to when it comes to the 2020-21 campaign. He logged 14 points on four-of-six shooting and a six-for-six effort at the charity stripe. Alonzo also grabbed four rebounds and handed out two assists before fouling out.
 
Smith led all players in both scoring (26) and rebounding (11) while putting together his third double-double of the year. Alonzo went for 19 points and seven boards, while senior guard Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) posted a 12-point effort that included nine points on three successful three pointers.
 
Chatham won the game from long range, making 13-of-33 treys. The Jackets connected on five-of-18 tries from downtown. Waynesburg was a far superior team at the foul line, where it posted a 17-for-22 night. Chatham knocked down just seven-of-20 at the stripe.