GREENSBURG, Pa. (Dec. 7) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team hit the road on Wednesday for a non-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest at Pitt Greensburg. The Yellow Jackets never trailed on the evening and downed the Bobcats 70-60.
 
Waynesburg (3-5) scored the first seven points of the game thanks to a three pointer from graduate student Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) sandwiched between two-point field goals from junior Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) and senior Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg). Pitt Greensburg (3-5) nearly tied the game up after scoring 12 of the game's next 18 points and cutting the Jacket advantage to 13-12.
 
Momentum swung back to the visitors thanks to a 9-0 run that allowed them to take control for the majority of the game. Junior Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) keyed the surge by tallying eight-straight points and giving Waynesburg a 22-12 advantage. Baker scored again after Pitt Greensburg broke up the run and started a 6-0 stretch that made the score 30-17.
 
The Yellow Jacket lead grew to as many as 15 points over the final minutes of the opening half. Waynesburg went into the locker room at halftime with a 34-23 lead following a pair of Bobcat free throws.
 
Feeding off its home crowd, Pitt Greensburg rallied in the first 14-plus minutes of the second half to tie the score at 54-54. Felberg gave his team the lead back with four unanswered points. With 1:31 showing on the clock, Waynesburg led by just two points, but came through with a clutch team effort at the foul line to close out the victory. Junior Bryson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett), Popeck and Felberg combined to knock down 10 of 10 foul shots. Waynesburg also controlled the glass over the crucial 1:26 time frame by not allowing an offensive rebound to the desperate Bobcats.
 
Speaking of rebounds, the Jackets held a 44-34 advantage on the glass. Waynesburg also posted a sparkling 18-of-21 (85.7%) performance as a team from the free throw line.
 
Though he was forced to the sideline for the final minutes of the game after fouling out, Baker put together a truly outstanding 17 minutes off the bench. Over that brief stretch of time, he logged a double-double on 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, four of which were of the offensive variety. The junior forward went seven-for-nine from the floor, made both of his free throw tries and swiped two steals.
 
Popeck paced the offense with a team-high 19 points and grabbed eight defensive rebounds. Felberg added 14 points to the winning effort going five-for-seven from the floor and four-for-five at the foul line.
 
After winning back-to-back non-conference games, Waynesburg will try to carry that momentum into Saturday's PAC contest against Geneva. Tipoff from the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse is scheduled for 3 p.m.