By Danielle Kochka, Sports Information Assistant

The Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team fell to Illinois College 80-69 in the consolation game of the Bluffton McDonald's Holiday Tournament.
 
Illinois held a 14-point advantage going into halftime, leading the Presidents 46-32. In the first half, W&J was lead by freshman guard Gianni Buarne, who had 12 points as he shot 4-6 from the three-point arc.
 
The second half saw a surge of energy for the Presidents, who rallied to close the deficit to four points. However, a three-pointer from Illinois College's Tim Schappaugh halted the comeback and gave IC the advantage for the rest of the game.
 
Buarne finished with a game- and career-high 22 points, while knocking down six total three-point shots, which is tied for the second highest total in the Presidents' Athletic Conference this season. Christian Rohaus and Brian Graytok contributed to the effort with 17 points each. Graytok also brought down a game-high nine rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team for his performance over the two days.
 
W&J falls to 0-10 on the season. They will start off the 2016 calendar year by traveling to Waynesburg for a PAC match-up on January 2nd. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm.