News Release

WAYNESBURG, Pa. — Junior forward Jeff Nero scored nine of his team-high 17 points in the final 7:29 on Tuesday night, as the Yellow Jackets registered a 67-60 comeback win over Grove City in the opening round of the PAC Tournament at the Marisa Fieldhouse. Waynesburg erased a 10-point deficit by outscoring the Wolverines 19-2 over the final 7:29. The Yellow Jackets will now face Westminster on Thursday in the semifinal round of the tournament.

With the Wolverines holding a 58-48 lead with 7:29 left, Nero scored six-straight points to trim the deficit, 58-54, with 5:19 remaining. After another Waynesburg basket, Nero nailed a three-pointer to give the Yellow Jackets a 59-58 lead with 3:18 to play.

With 38 seconds remaining, the Yellow Jacket held a narrow 63-60 lead before guard Beau Wilson hit a pair of free throws. Just 10 days ago, Wilson hit a pair of game-winning free throws to beat the Wolverines in Waynesburg.

The junior finished the game with 15 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe, and four steals.

Down the stretch, senior forward Ryan Bujnowski scored four of his 11 points in what may be his last game at the Marisa Fieldhouse. Bujnowski also added eight rebounds and two steals in the win.

During the 19-2 Yellow Jacket run, Grove City struggled from the field and with turnovers. During the final seven-minute stretch the Wolverines failed to make a field goal, scoring their only points on free throws, while also committing six turnovers and six fouls.

The Wolverines jumped out to a 12-point lead, 27-15, in the opening half behind surprising success from three-point territory. GCC entered the contest averaging only five three-pointers/game, but in the opening half it made 8-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc.

After Grove City expanded its lead to 13 points, 32-19, sophomore forward Josh Parisi scored seven-straight unanswered points for Waynesburg to close the lead to 32-26.

Parisi finished the game with 14 markers and a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.

WC trimmed the lead to five with 1:26 left in the half before the Wolverines scored five-straight unanswered points, including a three-pointer by Ryan Gerber, who paced all scorers with a career-high 21 points.

The Wolverines took a 40-30 halftime lead after shooting an astounding 60 percent (15 of 25) from the floor, including 8-of-12 three-pointers. The second half yielded different results for GCC, who made just one of nine from beyond the arc and 30.8 percent (8 of 26) from the floor.

The Yellow Jackets, who struggled from long range, forced 22 Grove City turnovers and converted them into 30 points. Despite losing the rebounding advantage, Waynesburg outscored the Wolverines 30-18 in the paint.

The win over Grove City in the PAC Tournament on Tuesday completed the first three-game sweep of an opponent since the 1988-89 season.

Waynesburg now will make its second trip to the campus of Westminster College in six days on Thursday, Feb. 23. The Yellow Jackets and Titans split the regular season series with the home team winning each contest. Thursday's contest will mark the 142nd all-time meeting between the two former NAIA rivals.