WAYNESBURG, PA. (Feb. 5) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team welcomed the number one team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) to town on Saturday for a key league showdown. The Yellow Jackets led Chatham at the halftime break of a defensive struggle, but the visiting Cougars' three-point prowess was too much for the host squad, as they pulled away in the second half to pick up a 61-49 win.
 
Waynesburg (12-8, 8-5) and Chatham (16-1, 11-1) entered the day as the number-two and number-one scoring defensive in the PAC, respectively. The first half reflected those numbers as the Jackets built a 26-23 halftime edge.
 
The two teams were tied 9-9 after 5:08 of action, but an 11-3 Waynesburg run gave the host squad an eight-point lead at 20-12 with 8:35 remaining in the first half. Sophomore Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) powered the surge with nine of those 11 points.
 
The Jacket lead grew to as many as 10 points when senior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) dropped in a layup that made the score 26-16 with 5:44 showing on the clock. Unfortunately, Chatham tallied the final seven points of the period to pull to within three points at the break.
 
The Cougars carried their momentum into the second half, which opened with the visitors scoring 16 of the first 20 points and building a 39-30 advantage. Waynesburg pulled to within four points of tying the score on multiple occasions in the second half. The last of these situations came when a pair of Knotts free throws made the score 49-45 with just over six minutes left in the contest.
 
Chatham clinched the victory by logging the next nine points and taking a 58-45 lead with 2:47 showing on the scoreboard.
 
Knotts led the Waynesburg offense with a team-high 15 points. Popeck paired 12 points with a squad-best seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Bryson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett) helped out with nine points, while graduate student forward Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio / John Hay) contributed eight to the cause.
 
The Jackets face another stiff test on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when they travel to Washington & Jefferson, which currently sits in second place in the PAC standings. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.