
The final game of 2017 for the Yellow Jacket men’s basketball team turned out to be another barn burner that was decided by a last second three pointer by senior wing Jon Knab. This gave the 62-59 victory to the Yellow Jackets and secured the championship title in the 43rd Annual Purple and Gold Tournament.
Freshman guard Matt Popeck paced the Jacket offense with 12 points followed by sophomore guard Frank Bozicevic with 11 points.
Head coach Mark Christner was pleased with effort from his underclassmen.
“Our young guys are coming along and learning how to do it on the court so I’ve been pleased with their progress,” said Christner.
Throughout the first half, the game was even and the two teams were deadlocked at 31 points.
In the second half, the Jackets came out strong with an 11-4 run to make the score 42-35 in favor of the Jackets. However, Wright State -Lake was able to answer to the challenge with an 11-0 run of their own that gave them a 48-46 advantage.
Senior forward Mike Nugent was able to tie the game on a pair of free throws and this this was the beginning of a series of different lead changes and ties before Knab’s last second shot.
Junior wing Nate Gearhart went three-for-seven from beyond the arc for nine points and although the Jacket men did not shoot particularly well, Christner still believes it is important.
“We didn’t shoot it very well but we still won so I think having some balance is important and we have guys that can make it so we want to make sure we have good balance,” said Christner.
Knab contributed 11 points to the cause, as well as four assists and six rebounds, and has proven himself to be a consistent leader for the team.
“[Knab] leads by example, he is a guy that really didn’t play at all as a freshman and has grown in his game over the last two years and is reaping some of the rewards now,” said Christner. “He’s pretty consistent in his approach and he is just a really good teammate to be around.”
Some of those benefits were being named to the all -tournament team as well as receiving the MVP laurels.
The Yellow Jacket victory will help the team moving forward as they continue their season.
“You only have a certain number of games you can play, so all the games we feel are important and you want to play well and give yourself an opportunity to win,” said Christner. “When you enter a tournament in the regular season you have a chance to win and that is the goal and Wright State-Lake was a worthy opponent but I think our guys showed a lot of resolve.”
This concludes the Jackets nonconference part of the schedule and the team returns to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 3, with a PAC matchup at Chatham. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.