WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 9) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team traveled north up Interstate 79 on Wednesday to face off with Washington & Jefferson. The two teams locked horns in a bitterly fought back-and-forth affair. Unfortunately for Waynesburg, the host squad managed to close the game on a 10-5 run that turned a tie ball game into a 68-63 win for the Presidents.
 
After W&J (17-4, 12-2) opened the game with a three-pointer, Waynesburg (12-9, 8-6) responded by tallying the next eight point to grab an 8-3 edge. The run featured three pointers by sophomore guard Bryson Wilt (Oakland, Md. / Southern Garrett) and graduate student forward Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio / John Hay) sandwiched around a two-point field goal from senior guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington).
 
The two teams battled back-and-forth over the next few minutes, before a dunk by sophomore Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) cut W&J's lead to 18-16 with 9:25 remaining in the first half. A brief 5-0 surge by the host team pushed the President advantage to seven points at 23-16. The Yellow Jackets answered by closing out the opening 20 minutes with back-to-back field goals that pulled the visitors to within two points (31-29) of tying the contest.
 
W&J started the second half by logging the first eight points of the period and expanding its lead to 39-29. However, the Jackets regained momentum by outscoring the Presidents 15-4 over the next 4:30. Another Wilt three pointer capped the surge and put the Orange and Black ahead 44-43. Another Jacket trey, this one by Popeck, extended Waynesburg's lead to 47-43.
 
Shortly after that make, a layup by Kirkman gave Waynesburg its largest lead of the contest at 51-46 with 10:35 showing on the clock. Much like the first half, the two teams embarked on a stretch of back-and-forth scoring that saw the lead traded on multiple occasions.
 
The Jackets' final advantage (55-53) of the contest came with just over five minutes left in the game. W&J outscored the opposition 15-8 over the stretch run of the contest to close out the win and move into a tie for first place in the PAC.
 
Wilt capped a team-high 16-point performance with a buzzer-beating three pointer. He connected on six-of-11 field goal attempts and knocked down four-of-six attempts from three-point range. He added six rebounds, five steals and four assists in one of his top games as a collegiate player.
 
Kirkman pulled down a squad-best seven board to go along with 15 points, while sophomore forward Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) matched him with 15 points of his own on six-of-eight shooting from the floor. Popeck posted 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
A major deciding factor in the game's final outcome was a noticeable difference in free throw shooting. Waynesburg connected on eight-of-10 foul shots, while W&J made 15-of-24 attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Waynesburg returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 12, when it hosts PAC rival Westminster. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. It is the first of four-straight home games to wrap up the Jackets' regular season schedule.