Yellow Jackets shoot down Presidents on Senior Night
Waynesburg’s Matt Popeck drives against Washington & Jefferson during Wednesday’s PAC game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse in Waynesburg.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Frank Bozicevic, left, and Aaron Novad try to steal the ball from Washington & Jefferson’s Okikiola Agbale during Wednesday’s PAC game.
Waynesburg’s Nate Gearhart with the ball Washington & Jefferson’s Primo Zini during a game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Waynesburg’s Brennan Smith tries to block Washington & Jefferson’s Primo Zini shot during a game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Washington & Jefferson’s Kylie McKennen drivers passed Waynesburg’s Monica Starre during a game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson’s Hannah Johnston tries to block a shot by Waynesburg’s Andrea Orlosky during Wednesday’s PAC game in Waynesburg.
Washington & Jefferson’s Kylie McKennen tries to block Waynesburg’s Haley Porter during a game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Waynesburg’s Andrea Orlosky drives for the net Washington & Jefferson’s Aleena McDaniel during a game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson’s Aleena McDaniel drives past Waynesburg’s Andrea Orlosky during Wednesday’s game.
Waynesburg’s Erin Joyce fights Washington & Jefferson’s Kylie McKennen for the rebound during a game at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
WAYNESBURG – It’s funny what Senior Night can do to a team.
The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team rode all the emotions of Senior Night and then hit a barrage of threes to upset rival Washington & Jefferson College, 85-67, in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game Wednesday evening at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
“Throughout the season, we always talk about responding in games,” Waynesburg coach Mark Christner said. “Early on in the year, we didn’t respond collectively as a group at times. Tonight we played with energy and kept our emotions in check. This was a gutsy win and we played relaxed on offense. This was our best passing night of the season.”
Matt Popeck led the offense for the Yellow Jackets (6-7, 7-15) with 26 points. Brennen Smith garnered 14 of his 16 points in the second half, while also adding 14 rebounds. Waynesburg made 13 three-pointers in the game.
Waynesburg also got some contributions from seniors off the bench as Jake Dougherty added 11 points and Nate Gearhart chipped in with seven.
The Presidents (7-7, 9-14) were led by Cameron Seemann (15), Primo Zini (15) and Jonathan DeVito (12).
“We knew Waynesburg was a good shooting team,” W&J coach Ethan Stewart-Smith said. “They hit some early threes, but we just stuck with it. We have a pretty good offense, too. We pushed the ball better in the second half, but we had some defensive lapses late in the game. They fed off the energy and made the plays late.”
Trailing 49-41 in the early moments of the second half, W&J responded with 10 straight points to take the lead.
After a timeout, Waynesburg went on a 12-4 spurt and took a 61-55 lead after a trey from Smith. The Presidents countered with a three of their own, by Seemann, to make it 63-60, but that was as close as they would get to the Yellow Jackets.
Waynesburg extended the advantage to 77-62 after a 14-2 spree. After the teams traded free throws, the Yellow Jackets put the game away as Smith converted an alley-op pass with a monstrous dunk that all but sealed the victory on Senior Night.
“We kept them in front of us and were able to slow down their drives,” Christner said. “We are one of the top three shooting teams from three in our conference. When we get space, we can shoot the three. Our bench came alive for us in the second half. We hit the glass and I thought we did a better job of communicating on defense.”
Trailing 9-7 in the early minutes of the first half, the Yellow Jackets tallied 11 unanswered points.
W&J countered with an 11-6 rally, but the home team collected 11 of the next 15 points in the contest. Waynesburg stretched its lead to 42-31 after a mid-range jumper by Popeck. The visitors closed out the first half on a 6-0 run and trailed 42-37 at halftime.
Waynesburg was 8-for-16 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes, while W&J got back into the game from the free throw line, where they shot 9-for-13 in the first half.
W&J, 81-74
After a frenetic, fast-paced opening 10 minutes, W&J’s defense settled down the rest of the way for a key conference victory over Waynesburg, 81-74.
The teams combined for 49 points in the opening quarter as the Presidents (11-3, 15-7) held a 27-22 advantage. W&J shot 66 percent from the floor in the first quarter.
“It was so fast in that first quarter,” W&J coach Jina DeRubbo said. “We had a size advantage, and I feel like our post players really controlled the inside. Our ball movement was good and we were patient on offense. Throughout the game, even though we are young, we had a lot of poise and we made some good decisions in the second half.”
Both defenses stepped up in the second quarter as the visitors outscored the Yellow Jackets (5-8, 7-15) in the frame and were up 39-32 at intermission.
After Waynesburg held a 19-18 edge in the third quarter, the Presidents were able to secure the win after a 24-23 scoring edge in the final quarter. W&J shot 17-for-24 at the free-throw line in the final 10 minutes.
Canon-McMillan graduate Danielle Parker scored a team-high 21 points for W&J. Alie Seto continued her stellar sophomore season with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals
“Alie is a fighter,” DeRubbo said. “She plays so hard and she has had a great year for us. She’s so athletic and versatile. It’s a match-up problem for most teams. I still think her best basketball is yet to come. We are excited for her future here.”
Kylie McKennen was also in double figures for the Presidents with 16 points. She went 10-for-15 at the foul line.
Haley Porter collected eight 3-pointers on the night for 27 points for Waynesburg. Andrea Orlosky chipped in with 23 points and seven rebounds.