
The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team suffered a tough loss to Washington and Jefferson College (W&J) this past Wednesday, falling 80-77.
The Yellow Jackets (7-9, 3-6) needed a win to try and remain in the playoff hunt for the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, but unfortunately for the team, it came up short after a tough defensive game.
A bright spot for Waynesburg was freshman guard Matt Popeck who led all scorers with 22 points. The freshman was just four points shy of his career high and kept the team alive for most of the game.
The Jackets started off on the right note by outscoring the Presidents (3-13, 2-7) in the first half 38-32.
However, the team took a hit when senior forward Marcus Wallace went out with an injury.
The hardships did not stop there as fellow senior Jon Knab had a tough time on the offensive side of the game, going 4-7 from the floor and 1-3 from beyond the arc for 12 points. Knab was averaging over 16 points per game entering the contest.
“(Knab) was in and out of foul trouble, so I think that probably hurts a guy rhythm-wise and I think that was probably the bulk of it,” said head coach Mark Christner.
Junior wing Nate Gearhart also added 12 points, going 5-11 from the floor and 2-7 from three- point range.
Waynesburg was outscored 48-39 in the second half by W&J. Both Christner and Knab attributed the tough second half to poor team chemistry as the game winded down.
“It was a lack of communication and awareness, which can happen and it was disappointing,” said Christner.
In addition, Knab felt that the team’s second half effort was not as strong as their start to the game.
“There was a few times where we didn’t communicate great—whether we were switching or staying with our guy, and they knocked in a few shots which gave them a lot of momentum,” said Knab. “We didn’t compete as hard defensively down the stretch as we would have liked, which really hurt us.”
The team also struggled shooting the ball from the free throw line, as they were just 7-13.
“We practice them all year and guys have to be able to relax and step up there get them,” said Christner. “Getting to the line has been an issue more for us than making them and guys have to get their rhythm and be relaxed up there.”
Looking forward after the loss, the Yellow Jackets need to revitalize their game, according to Chistner, as they have a tough three-game road trip coming up.
“We’ve had other games where you have to bounce back and that are tough to lose and we have to try to find the requisite energy, but also the concentration to do stuff better,” said Christner. “We didn’t have the concentration defensively that we needed to tonight to be able to sustain the lead we had for the majority of the game.”
Knab feels that the loss will fuel the fire for games coming up in the near future.
“We definitely use it as motivation. It’s something we all know is going to hurt until Saturday when we get back out there and just knowing that this one hurts we will use it to get better,” said Knab.
Waynesburg returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 20, when they visit the Bison of Bethany College for another PAC showdown. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.