WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 5) – With just seconds to go in Wednesday night's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup between Waynesburg and Geneva, momentum seemed to favoring the Yellow Jackets and, at worst, the two teams were heading to overtime. Unfortunately, the Golden Tornadoes had different ideas.
 
Trailing 63-60 with 36 seconds showing on the game clock, Jacket senior Frank Bozicevic (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) knocked down a game-tying three pointer that brought the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse crowd to its feet. Geneva had plenty of time to answer, but a missed shot 30 seconds later gave the home team a chance to send the contest into extra time. Unfortunately, the GT's got to the offensive rebound and produced the put-back basket that decided a 65-63 contest.
 
Though the loss was a painful one for Waynesburg (4-17, 4-8), it showed its mettle late in the second half while facing down a seven-point deficit. With his team trailing 63-56, sophomore Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz. / Tri-City Christian Academy) converted a layup to make the score 63-58. On the ensuing possession, senior Cam Auld (North Huntingdon, Pa. / Norwin) not only came up with a steal, but converted into two more points.
 
Auld also grabbed an offensive rebound following a Bozicevic miss that set the veteran guard up for the game-tying trey.
 
Wednesday night's contest got off to a strong start for Waynesburg, which led by as many as eight points in the first half. Geneva eventually tied the game at 26-26 in the opening period before taking a slight 33-32 edge into the locker room at halftime.
 
A pair of Alonzo free throws early in the second half put the Jackets back in the lead at 36-35 and Bozicevic followed those with a field goal that put the Orange and Black ahead 38-35. Eventually, Geneva turned the tables on the host squad and built up second-half advantages as large as eight points before the Jackets produced their valiant late-game run.
 
Bozicevic led a quartet of double-digit scorers with a game-high 17 points. He also posted a game-high four steals.
 
Freshman guard Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) continued to produce in his rookie season with 16 points, 12 of which came from a squad-best four made three-pointers.
 
Alonzo posted a double-double on 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. He also dished out a squad-best four assists. Senior Brennan Smith (New Cumberland, W.Va. / Oak Glen) helped out with 12 points and five rebounds, while Auld grabbed nine boards on the night.
 
Waynesburg is off for a week and won't be back on the court until Wednesday, Feb. 12. The Jackets will travel to Washington & Jefferson to face the Presidents in an 8 p.m. matchup.