GREENVILLE, Pa. (Feb. 2) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team traveled to Thiel on Wednesday night for a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup with the host Tomcats. The Yellow Jackets combined its trademark stingy defense with another big scoring effort from senior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) to pick up a 68-56 victory.
 
Popeck paced the Waynesburg (12-7, 8-4) with a game-high 26 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the floor. He also knocked down three-of-six attempts from three-point range.
 
Defensively, the Jackets held Thiel (3-14, 2-9) nearly 13 points below its season scoring average. The Tomcats also only connected on 14-of-47 field goal attempts (29.8%) and just one-of-eight tries from three-point range (12.5%).
 
A pair of layups by graduate student forward Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio / John Hay) got things rolling for Waynesburg, who took a 4-0 lead to open the contest. The visitors never trailed on the night, but Thiel was able to pull within one point of tying the score on multiple occasions throughout the first half.
 
Clinging to a 16-15 edge, the Jackets began to take firm control of the contest over the final five minutes of the opening period. Sophomore guard Jake Scheidt (Saxonburg, Pa. / Knoch) connected on a three-pointer that kicked off a 15-8 run and closed out the first half. When the final buzzer of the opening 20 minutes sounded, Waynesburg found itself with a 31-23 lead.
 
Much like the first half, the second opened with the road squad connecting on back-to-back field goals. This pair of makes grew the Jacket advantage to 35-23. The Orange and Black didn't trail over the remainder of the contest, but Thiel was able to claw its way to within six points of tying the game on multiple occasions. Leading by nine with just a minute remaining in the game, the visitors were able to knock down a quartet of free throws to seal up their most recent triumph.
 
Kirkman was his typical workman-like self, as he pieced together a 12-point, 10-rebound, three-assist effort. It was his eighth double-double of the season.
 
Sophomore Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) converted six-of-11 field goal attempts to produce 17 points. He also handed out a contest-best seven assists to help keep the Waynesburg offense rolling through the win.
 
Waynesburg assisted on 19-of-24 field goals and overcame a nearly two-to-one advantage in made free throws for Thiel. The Tomcats connected on 27-of-34 tries from the foul line, while the Jackets made 14-of-21 free throws.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 5, when it hosts Chatham, the top team in the PAC standings. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.