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Opener doesn’t go the way Waynesburg wanted it to

4 min read
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WAYNESBURG – There were stretches of its opener Tuesday night that the Waynesburg University men’s basketball team could be proud of and build off of as the season progresses.

The Yellow Jackets’ defense was very good. They held Oberlin to only 16 field goals. Defensive efforts this good are supposed to win games, but Waynesburg could only chalk one up in the loss column after 40 minutes of frustration.

Oberlin used a 13-2 run in the second half to forge a nine-point lead, then held off a frantic Waynesburg comeback to escape with a 45-42 victory at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

The game wasn’t decided until Waynesburg missed two potential game-tying three-point shots in the final five seconds, a jumper from the left wing by Jansen Knotts that rimmed out and a desperation 30-footer by Matt Popeck with .3 seconds remaining.

While the game appeared every bit the season opener it was with ragged and disjointed offensive play, Waynesburg came away knowing it had been too content to play on the perimeter and shoot jump shots instead of being aggressive on offense. Either that or Oberlin is the best team in college basketball at not fouling. Yellow Jackets head coach Tim Fusina says the former is true.

“We went to the line four times,” he said. “I told (the players) that we stood around too much and didn’t move the ball well enough. We didn’t cut hard and screen people well enough. The few times that we did those things, we scored.”

Those baskets, however, were difficult to produce. Almost nothing came from the free-throw line and Oberlin didn’t hurt itself by committing unnecessary fouls. The Yeomen were called for just five fouls in the first 31 minutes and seven over the initial 37 minutes.

When you’re having a rough shooting night like Waynesburg – the Yellow Jackets shot 30 percent and made only four of 19 three-pointers – you have to get to the free-throw line to score easy points that can generate a scoring spurt.

Waynesburg attempted only four free throws, making each one. Popeck, who had a game-high 13 points, was the only Yellow Jackets player to shoot a free throw.

“We have a lot of youth and inexperience, and when you’re trying to learn how to play with one another, it’s a challenge,” Fusina said. “I’m proud of the defensive effort, though. We’ll make it hard on you.”

Waynesburg’s defensive play was stellar except for during a costly stretch in the second half. That’s when Oberlin’s Aidan Oliver scored all of his eight points. He ended the key stretch by working free under the basket for an uncontested two points, then maneuvered inside again to convert a three-point play that gave Oberlin a 43-34 lead with 6:57 remaining.

“We didn’t jump to the ball quickly and he got two layups,” Fusina said of Oliver’s consecutive baskets. “We covered that in a walk-thru this morning and in practice yesterday. But we gave up four points and we lose by three.”

The Yeomen, however, didn’t score a point over the game’s final five minutes, when Waynesburg made it interesting. Knotts followed his own miss for a field goal and Popeck drove to the basket, was fouled and made two free throws with 1:27 left to cut Oberlin’s lead to 45-40.

Sophomore guard Bryson Wilt, whose play drew praise from Fusina, drove for a basket that made it 45-42 with 48 seconds remaining. Oberlin then called a timeout but committed a turnover with 21 seconds left, giving Waynesburg a chance to force overtime.

“When you hold the opponent to 34 percent shooting, and you’re playing at home, you should walk out of there with a win,” Fusina said. “We just played on the perimeter way too much. We didn’t attack the rim. We saw that in our scrimmages, too. When you’re a younger group, that sometimes happens.”

Popeck was the only Waynesburg player to score in double figures. Wilt finished with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting.

Darien Knowles led Oberlin with 11 points.

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