WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- Matt Popeck's sterling offensive showing and some stout defense lifted Waynesburg to an 83-69 victory against the Stevenson men's basketball team on Thursday afternoon. 

Popeck dropped in a career-high 41 points for Waynesburg (7-3) in the victory, going 11-of-13 from deep as the Yellow Jackets cruised into the second half with a commanding lead. Popeck added two rebounds and four assists for the Yellow Jackets, while Nijon Kirkman added a double-double behind 15 points and 16 rebounds. 

Stevenson (6-5) placed four in double figures, including career-highs in scoring from Drew Miller (12) and Cameron Sapienza (10). Jalin Jordan had 11 points for the Mustangs, while KJ Holton notched 10 points. 

• The Yellow Jackets opened up a quick 7-3 lead as Popeck notched a pair of buckets early. Waynesburg later surged ahead 9-3 before Holton finished along the right block through contact, adding a foul shot to complete the three-point play. 
• In transition, Sapienza finished a layup following a block from Holton and a long lead pass from Jalen Jacox as Stevenson trailed 9-8. Waynesburg used smothering defense as part of a 9-0 spurt, expanding its lead to 18-8. Stevenson went nearly six minutes without a basket with the Yellow Jackets building their lead to 19-8. McKale Williams pulled up for his first basket of the season, trimming the Stevenson deficit to 20-10. 
• The Yellow Jacket lead hovered around double figures as Miller responded with a triple, slicing the deficit to 25-15. Cameron Smith sunk a triple from the left wing with the Mustangs trailing by nine before Waynesburg canned a shot from beyond the arc of its own. 
• Two runout buckets for the Mustangs trimmed the Waynesburg lead to 31-22. Off a Stevenson miss, the Yellow Jackets drilled a long triple for a 34-22 edge. With each side trading long-range buckets, the Yellow Jackets took a 41-26 advantage into the intermission. 

• Off a steal, Jacox raced ahead for the opening bucket of the second half. Waynesburg maintained its hot hand from long range with consecutive three-point baskets, expanding the lead to 47-30. Off a technical whistled on Popeck, Miller made one of two for the Mustangs, which trailed 47-31 prior to a timeout.  
• Nate Arrington knocked down a shot with Stevenson down 50-37 following consecutive buckets before the sharpshooting Popeck nailed another three on the ensuing possession. 
• Popeck continued lighting it up from three-point range for Waynesburg, burying two more for a 59-39 advantage. The Yellow Jackets kept their advantage around 20 points near the midway point of the half, 
• Jordan hit a corner three with the Mustangs looking to chip away at the deficit. Miller worked into double figures with a layup, making it 73-50 in favor of Waynesburg at the 7:04 mark. 
• Holton reached double figures in scoring at the foul line with just under four minutes remaining while the Yellow Jackets kept the Mustangs at bay down the stretch. 

• Stevenson was on the court for the first time since December 11 against Eastern. 
• The Mustangs had three first-year players in their starting five, including Smith, Ayers and Arrington. Sapienza made his first career start for the Mustangs, who sent a retooled lineup to the floor on Thursday. 
• Waynesburg went 7-of-10 from beyond the arc in the opening half as Popeck made all four of his three-point attempts during the first 20 minutes. In total, the Yellow Jackets shot 45.1% from the field in the opening half, placing two in double figures while mounting the 15-point halftime edge. 
• Popeck dropped in 25 points in the second half as Waynesburg shot just under 50% from the floor on the day, while shooting 65.4% from beyond the arc. 
• Waynesburg assisted on 22 of 29 made baskets, while finishing even in the rebounding ledger.
• Williams, an all-conference selection last season, made his 2021-22 debut for the Mustangs after dealing with an injury. He posted eight points with five rebounds, one assist and one steal. 
• The Mustangs ended the game on a 9-0 run despite the contest being well in hand for the Yellow Jackets. 
• In addition to his career-high scoring output, Miller added a career-high seven rebounds for the Mustangs as well. 

• Stevenson: The Mustangs hit the road for a conference meeting against York (Pa.) on Wednesday, January 5 at 8:00 p.m.
• Waynesburg: The Yellow Jackets visit Chatham, resuming conference play in the new year on Tuesday, January 4 at 7:30 p.m.