LATROBE, Pa. (Nov. 27) – If the Waynesburg University men's basketball team wanted to get off on the right foot when it comes to Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play, there's little doubt they did just that on Saturday. Not only did the Yellow Jackets roll to a 74-48 road victory at Saint Vincent on Saturday, but senior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) became the 35^th member of Waynesburg's 1,000-point club and sophomore Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) dominated the glass in the victory.
 
Popeck not only cleared the 1,000-point mark, but did so with his second 30-plus-point output in his last seven games going back to last season. The veteran standout piled up a game and team-season high 36 points on 14-of-24 shooting that included an efficient five-of-10 effort from three-point range. He also pulled down nine rebounds and tied for the game high with three assists. His 36 points are the second-most scored in a single game by any PAC player this season.
 
Baker ruled the boards with 16 rebounds, including six offensive boards, over just 17 minutes of play off the bench. He also chipped in seven points to the winning effort. Junior guard Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) and graduate student forward Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio / John Hay) also tallied seven points in the win.
 
Following Baker's lead, Waynesburg outrebounded Saint Vincent (1-5, 0-1) by a 49-36 margin. The Jacket defense, which has given up just 59.0 points per game this year, second best in the PAC, held Saint Vincent to 32.1% shooting from the field and just three-of-18 shooting from three-point range (16.7%). That same defense kept the Bearcats without a double-digit scorer.
 
While both teams performed admirably in protecting the basketball, Waynesburg turned the rock over just five times, while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers.
 
Waynesburg's 26-point victory is its largest since a 66-39 triumph over Washington & Jefferson on Feb. 6, 2016.
 
The Jackets opened the game by building a 14-4 lead over the first 7:18 of play. Waynesburg maintained double-digit leads for the vast majority of the remainder of the first period. By the time the two teams broke for halftime, the visitors led 30-18.
 
Waynesburg more than doubled its advantage over the first 10 minutes of the second half. By the time there was 10:33 showing on the scoreboard, the Jackets led 56-27. The victors built up advantages as large as 32 points (68-36), before wrapping up the win.
 
Waynesburg will try to carry the momentum from Saturday's victory into a PAC road trip to Grove City on Wednesday, Dec. 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.