BETHANY, W.Va. (Jan. 20) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hit the road to face off with Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Bethany on Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets boasted four double-digit scorers and pulled away late in the contest for a 78-56 win over the Bison.
 
Sophomore Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) continued his recent hot play by posting team highs in both points (21) and rebounds (10) for his second double-double of the season. Senior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) added 19 points and seven boards, while graduate student forward Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio / John Hay) just missed out on a team-leading seventh double-double after going for 16 points and nine board. Kirkman was the picture of efficiency as he converted eight-of-12 field goal attempts.
 
Junior guard Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) connected on three-of-seven field goal tries, all of which came from three-point range, and added a free throw for a 10-point showing.
 
Things started slowly for the Jackets (9-5, 5-2), who trailed Bethany (1-10, 1-5) 7-2 after 2:11 of action. Waynesburg bounced back with a 10-2 run that put the visiting team ahead 12-9. After the Bison regained the advantage following a brief 5-0 scoring spurt, the Jackets did the same and led 17-14 after 6:13 of play.
 
The Orange and Black never trailed from that point on, but Bethany hardly made it easy on the visitors, and with 8:27 showing on the clock, the Jackets were clinging to a 24-23 edge. However, Waynesburg grabbed firm control of the contest thanks to a 13-0 run that was capped by a Popeck trey with 1:29 remaining in the half.
 
By the time the conference opponents broke for their respective locker rooms, Waynesburg led 41-28. The second half belonged to the Jackets, who never led by fewer than 11 points. The Jackets ended the night on a high note by scoring 11 of the final 12 points of the contest to bring about the final score.
 
Waynesburg was particularly adept at protecting the basketball, as it committed just three turnovers.
 
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they host Grove City for another PAC matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.