Nov 20, 2022 4 min read

The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team made its way to Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Bethany for a Saturday showdown with the Bison. Thanks in large part to a massive run that stretched from the end of the first half to the beginning of the second, the Yellow Jackets were able to pick up their first win of the year by the final score of 76-61.

Bethany (0-2, 0-4) took an early 3-2 lead, which Waynesburg (1-1, 1-2) responded to with back-to-back three pointers from graduate student Matt Popeck of Washington, and junior Bryson Wilt. The Jackets never trailed after taking that 8-3 lead, which ballooned to 20-5 just 4:39 into the first half.

The Bison rebounded with a 13-1 run that cut their deficit down to 21-18. The home team continued to close the gap until the score was tied 29-29 with 3:35 showing on the game clock. An 8-0 spurt to close the first 20 minutes of play not only gave Waynesburg a 37-29 advantage at the break, but set the tone for what was the game-deciding stretch of the contest.

Senior Ryan Felberg, junior Antone Baker, junior Jake Scheidt and Popeck all scored in those crucial closing minutes of the half.

Scheidt was almost unstoppable on the offensive side of the court, as he poured in a game and collegiate-best 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. He was even more efficient from three-point range, where he connected on four-of-five attempts. He also pulled down six rebounds, all of which were of offense, and picked up two of his team’s nine steals.

Popeck logged another 20-plus-point game in his Yellow Jacket career, going for 23 points, nine of which came from 12 attempts at the free throw line.

Seidl has 32 in W&J win: Freshman guard Matt Seidl poured in a collegiate-best 32 points to help lift the W&J men’s basketball team to a 101-94 victory in overtime Saturday afternoon at Russell-Beeghly Gymnasium.

The win is the third straight for W&J, who improves to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the PAC. Thiel falls to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the PAC.

The Presidents forged a 56-42 halftime lead behind some hot-shooting. W&J shot 15-of-33 (45.5 percent) from the field over the first 20 minutes. The Presidents connected on 7-of-16 three-point attempts in the first half. However, W&J went cold offensively in the second half, as they only converted 11 field goals in 34 tries.

Women’s results

W&J wins 3rd straight:Four players scored in double figures as W&J used a balanced offensive effort to post a 85-53 win over the host Thiel Tomcats in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon in Mercer County.

The win is the third straight for W&J, who improves to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the PAC. Thiel falls to 0-2, 0-2 in the PAC.

After being held scoreless in the first half, Adalynn Cherry dropped 11 third quarter points. W&J posted 26 third quarter points, its highest total in the game.

The Presidents wrapped up the final quarter of regulation adding more points to the board as Samantha Maurer and Brianna Toal would add late contributions for the Presidents.

Meghan Dryburgh posted her second double-double in a row and third of the season. She finished with team highs in four categories with 13 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Victoria Koeck (11), Adalynn Cherry (11), and Sarah Berardelli (10) also scored in double figures. Bryn Bezjak chipped in eight points and five assists.

Waynesburg falls: Junior guard Avery Robinson had one of the most productive games of her collegiate career to lead Waynesburg against Bethany on Saturday. But her big day on the court wasn’t enough for a Yellow Jacket victory, as the Bison picked up an 82-74 Presidents’ Athletic Conference win.

Robinson went for a game-high 29 points for Waynesburg (0-2, 0-3) on 11-for-19 shooting from the floor, which included a five-for-10 effort from three-point range. She added four rebounds, two assists and two steals and committed just one turnover over a full 40 minutes on the court.

Along with Robinson’s performance, the Jackets also got 15 points from Marley Wolf, eight of which came at the charity stripe. Liv Ammons tied for the game lead with eight rebounds, while also dropping in eight points.