WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 5) –
The Matchup
Westminster (2-0, 2-0) at Waynesburg (0-0, 0-0)
Waynesburg's Last Time Out
Lost 72-64 to Chatham in the first round of the 2020 PAC Championship Tournament.
Westminster's Last Time Out
Won 90-71 over Bethany on Saturday, Jan. 30.
Waynesburg's Returning Leaders
Scoring – Isaiah Alonzo (14.5 ppg)
Rebounding – Isaiah Alonzo (7.6 rpg)
Assists – Isaiah Alonzo (1.6 apg)
Blocks – Isaiah Alonzo (0.9 bpg)
Minutes – Isaiah Alonzo (31.5 mpg)
Westminster's Leaders
Scoring – Isaac Stamatiades (18.5 ppg)
Rebounding – Isaac Stamatiades (12.0 rpg)
Assists – Reese Leone, Austin O'Hara, Andrew Clark (2.5 apg)
Blocks – Tyler James (2.0 bpg)
Minutes – Isaac Stamatiades (30.0 mpg)
A Look Inside the Hive
After having Wednesday's season opener against Grove City postponed, the Yellow Jackets tip off 2020-21 with a home game against Westminster. In its second year under head coach
Tim Fusina, Waynesburg will have a very different look as compared to the squad that went 6-20 overall this past winter and 6-10 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) competition. With just six returners back from this past winter and a whopping 15 new additions to this year's roster, the program effectively got a reboot this offseason. One steadying influence for the team should be junior forward
Isaiah Alonzo (Chandler, Ariz./Tri-City Christian Academy), who is back to anchor the squad after earning second-team All-PAC accolades following his first season with the team. Sophomore point guard
Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) is also back and will be counted upon to guide the offense and help integrate the wealth of new talent into Fusina's system. Waynesburg and its fans are also eagerly awaiting the return of two-time All-PAC guard
Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa./Washington). The junior had quickly established himself as one of the conference's top scorers before missing all but the first two games of the 2019-20 campaign with an injury.
Scouting the Titans
The Titans have hit the ground running this winter and sit atop the PAC standings with a 2-0 overall and PAC record. The potent Westminster offense poured in a conference-best 94.5 points per game in wins over Franciscan and Bethany. That average is good for eighth in all of the NCAA Division III ranks, and the Titans have lit up the scoreboard and such a prodigious rate despite the absence of last year's PAC Player of the Year, Dylan O'Hara. Senior Isaac Stamatiades (Elkridge, Md. / Avalon) looks like he could make it back-to-back PAC Player of the Year award winners for the Titans. He comes into Saturday's contest ranking third in the league in scoring (18.5 ppg) and first in rebounding (12.0 rpg). Junior forward Tyler James (Youngstown, Ohio/Warren JFK) gives head coach Kevin Siroki's squad a potent one-two punch in the middle. James is eight in the league in scoring (15.0 ppg), third in rebounding (11.0 rpg) and first in blocks (2.0 bpg). Freshman guard Reese Leon (Beloit, Ohio / West Branch) made a good first impression on his teammates by winning PAC Rookie of the Week by averaging 13.5 points, 2.5 assists, 1.0 rebound and 1.5 steals in a pair of Westminster victories.
The Last Time They Met
Westminster defeated the Jackets 73-58 on February 1, 2020.
The Streak
Westminster has won four consecutive games against the Yellow Jackets, with Waynesburg's last win coming in December of 2018.
Live Audio Link
N/A
Live Stats Link
https://waynesburgsports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video Link
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC_gOUOJjhNCKMtEAGc-qnw
Conference Standings
TEAM PAC RECORD OVERALL RECORD
Westminster 2-0 2-0
Chatham 1-0 1-0
Franciscan 1-1 1-1
Geneva 0-0 0-0
Grove City 0-0 0-0
Saint Vincent 0-0 0-0
Thiel 0-0 0-0
W&J 0-0 0-0
Waynesburg 0-0 0-0
Bethany 0-3 0-3
PAC Player of the Week
Isaac Stamatiades, Senior, Guard, Westminster
PAC Rookie of the Week
Reese Leone, Freshman, Guard, Westminster
