WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Dec. 30) – On Dec. 30, 2020, Waynesburg senior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) was still battling back from a serious injury that cost him virtually all of his 2019-20 campaign. Through hard work and will power, Popeck was able to play out last year's non-traditional spring season, but was still rounding back into form.
 
Clearly, he's not only returned to his pre-injury prowess, but has surpassed it. The veteran standout's pure scoring ability was on full display Thursday, when the Yellow Jackets hosted a solid Stevenson team for the final game of the 2021 calendar year. After a bit of a slow first, Popeck erupted for an almost flawless performance from three-point range that resulted in a personal collegiate-best 41 points. Thanks in large part to his efforts, Waynesburg wrapped up non-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play with an 83-69 victory over the Mustangs.
 
Popeck set a new Waynesburg record by connecting on 11 three-pointers and did so on just 13 attempts (84.6%). He shot 65% from the field overall (13-of-20) and was even more efficient from the free throw line, where he knocked down all four of his tries. His 41 points on the day are the eighth-most ever tallied by a Yellow Jacket and the most ever scored by a Waynesburg men's player inside the main gym at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
 
Thursday's offensive onslaught also yielded the most points scored in a single game by a PAC player this season, the most made three-pointers by a conference player this winter and the highest three-point percentage by a qualifying league player this year. He's also logged three games of at least 35 points scored this year, all of which have come in his last six outings.
 
Popeck currently leads the PAC in three-point percentage (.434) and free throw percentage (.895).
 
With the win, the Jackets improved to 7-3 on the season, which is the program's best 10-game start to a campaign since posting the same mark to open the 2001-02 schedule.
 
Saturday's win saw Stevenson (6-4) take just one lead on the day. After junior guard Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) tallied a layup on the first shot of the game to put Waynesburg up 2-0, the Mustangs converted on three free throws to grab a 3-2 edge. The Jackets responded with an 18-5 run that put them ahead 20-8 with 11:10 showing on the first-half clock.
 
Waynesburg maintained leads of at least nine points for the remainder of the first period. The opening half ended, appropriately enough, on a Popeck three-pointer, which not only gave the home team a 41-26 lead, but gave the spectators a very small preview of what was to come after the halftime break.
 
Popeck drilled seven of his 11 from long range over the final 20 minutes and helped his squad build advantages as large as 25 points (73-48). His final bucket of the magical performance came from beyond the arc with 1:48 left in the contest and it put the Jackets ahead 83-60. After the make, head coach Tim Fusina went deep into his bench to close out the day.
 
As a team, Waynesburg connected on 17-of-26 three-point tries, which equated to a 65.4% success rate. The Jackets converted on 49.2% of its field goals overall (29-of-59) and while they only attempted 10 free throws, they made the most of them by knocking down eight on the day.
 
If not for his teammate's historic performance, graduate student forward Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio / John Hay) would have stolen the show for Waynesburg. He logged his team-high fourth double-double of the season after posting 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Kirkman also handed out a contest-best six assists to fill up the stat sheet. His four double-digit rebound performances are tied for second in the PAC, as is his 10.2 board per game average.
 
Sophomore guard Jake Scheidt (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) added 10 points off the bench, while sophomore forward Jansen Knotts chipped in eight points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in a workman-like performance.
 
As a team, Waynesburg set season highs in points, blocked shots (six) and assists (22).
 
After celebrating the new year, the Yellow Jackets dive head first into PAC play on Tuesday, Jan. 4, when they travel to Chatham to face the Cougars. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.