STEUEBENVILLE, Ohio (Feb. 17) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hit the road on Wednesday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with Franciscan. The Yellow Jackets exploded in the second half to turn a two-point deficit into a 90-71 victory over the Barons.
 
The win saw the Jackets (1-3, 1-3) score their most points since a 127-125 win over Greenville back on Dec. 29, 2017. Defensively, Waynesburg held Franciscan (1-2, 1-2) over 17 points below its season average of 88.5 ppg heading into contest. The Barons were the top ranked offense in the PAC heading into the night.
 
The visitors got off to a quick start and build a 9-3 edge after 4:22 of play. Franciscan answered with a 12-5 run of its own to grab a one-point advantage (15-14) roughly three minutes later. This back-and-forth style of play continued throughout the entire opening half and when the final buzzer sounded before the break, Franciscan went into the locker room with a slim 38-36 lead.
 
Trailing 41-40 after two minutes of play in the second half, the Waynesburg offense went on one, if not its top run of the season so far. A 13-0 surge that lasted roughly four minutes allowed the visitors to jump ahead 53-41 that included a three-point play by junior forward Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Arizona / Tri-City Christian Academy) featuring a dunk before the free throw.
 
"We made some adjustments at the half defensively and limited their catch-and-shoot opportunities," said Waynesburg head coach Tim Fusina. "We were able to get the ball inside on the post feed and by the drive. I felt we physically dominated the last 20 minutes and it showed."
 
The Jackets never trailed for the remainder of the contest and rarely found themselves up by less than 10 points over that same span. The 19-point margin of victory is the program's largest since picking up an 86-61 win over Geneva on Feb. 17, 2018.
 
Not surprisingly, Wednesday's win featured Waynesburg's most balanced offensive attack of the season. Sophomore guard Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) led five players in double digits with a game-high 21 points. He shot seven-of-14 from the floor, knocked down two-of-three three-point attempts and converted five-of-six free throws. He added six rebounds and two assists to the winning effort.
 
Alonzo combined 17 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Speaking of double-doubles, freshman forward Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) logged his first as a collegiate player on 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Freshman Bryson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett) chipped in 13 points towards the win.
 
Junior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) continued to round back into his All-PAC form from two years ago with his second-straight game in double figures. Popeck came off the bench to tally 14 points and four rebounds over 25 minutes.
 
Waynesburg dominated the glass by outrebounding Franciscan by a 54-27 margin. The Jackets were also much more efficient shooting the ball. The road squad connected on 32-of-66 field goal attempts (48.5 %), while the Barons converted on 33.8 % of its tries (22-of-65).
 
"We have a young team and this was a great learning moment for them. We grew up a little tonight," Fusina said. "Franciscan is a tough team to play because their style is unique to any team in the conference. I feel we have only begun to scratch the surface of the potential we have and I can not wait to see where we can go in the future."
 
The Jackets will look to carry the momentum from their first win of the year over to Saturday's home game with Bethany. Tipoff from the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse is scheduled for 2 p.m.