STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Jan. 5) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team put on an offensive clinic when it made a road trip to Franciscan on Thursday. Five different Yellow Jackets reached double digits in scoring, and Waynesburg shot 52.8% from the floor, 58.8% from three and 84% from the free throw line en route to its biggest scoring output of the season. All those numbers added up to an 87-75 Waynesburg victory.
 
Franciscan (4-9, 1-7) flew out of the gate and took a 9-2 lead after 4:34 of play. However, the Jackets (4-8, 2-6) erased that seven-point deficit in just 1:20 thanks to a two-point field goal from senior Ryan Felberg (Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg) followed by back-to-back three pointers from graduate student guard Matt Popeck (Washington, Pa. / Washington) that gave the visitors their first lead at 10-9.
 
After the two teams evenly split the next eight points, Waynesburg used a 15-4 run to take firm control of the contest with 6:44 showing on the first half clock. Another Felberg field goal capped the surge and put the Orange and Black ahead 29-17.
 
The Barons ended the period by outscoring the Jackets 15-8. By the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, Waynesburg held a 37-32 advantage.
 
The Jackets never trailed during the second half, but Franciscan pulled to within three points of tying things up (45-42) with 16:28 left to play. Waynesburg re-established a comfortable lead with a 10-0 run that featured a trio of three pointers. Popeck, juniors Jansen Knotts (Ridgeley, W.Va. / Frankfort) and Jake Scheidt (Saxonburg, Pa. / Knoch) knocked down those treys. Knotts added a free throw during the surge.
 
From that point forward, Waynesburg did an excellent job of protecting its double-digit advantages and led by as many as 18 points before closing out its latest victory.
 
Not surprisingly, the Jacket offense came to life in the second half, where it tallied 50 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the floor. The visitors knocked down six-of-10 tries from long distance and an impressive 16-of-19 attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Junior forward Antone Baker (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) was outstanding over 25 minutes off the bench. He piled up a game-high 22 points on seven-of-10 shooting from the floor and a connected on all eight of his foul shots. He also grabbed six rebounds and swiped four steals.
 
Popeck chipped in 21 points, thanks mainly to his best effort from distance on the year. The veteran standout knocked down five-of-seven tries from behind the arc. He also finished second on the team with seven rebounds.
 
Felberg racked up 14 points on four-of-six shooting from the field and a five-for-six effort in free throws. Knotts used a five-for-seven effort from the floor to power a 13-point night. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Scheidt scored half of his 12 points on a two-for-three performance from three-point range.
 
Waynesburg will look to carry the momentum from Thursday's impressive performance into Saturday's showdown with the defending conference champions from Washington & Jefferson. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.