WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team suffered a defeat at the hands of Muskingum, 86-77, in its home opener on Saturday, Nov. 26.
 
Brian Graytok (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) finished the game with a career-high 30 points, including 21 in the second half, and connected on 13-of-20 (.650) shot attempts plus three free throws to go along with five rebounds, two assists and three steals. The 30 points broke Graytok's previous career high of 28 which he set last season on Jan. 27 at Thiel.
 
The Presidents (0-5) began the game on a 10-4 run and connected on four of their first five shots, however the Muskies (3-0) were able to get themselves back in the game and went into halftime with a 48-38 lead.
 
With 7:34 remaining in the second half and trailing by a score of 69-59, Graytok led a 14-6 Presidents run to cut the Muskingum lead to just two (75-73) as he scored 12 of the team's 14 points during the run, including 10 points in a row.
 
However the Muskies went on to outscore the Presidents 11-4 from that point on to yield the final margin.
 
Brian Lindquist (Narvon, Pa./Pequa Valley) tallied 15 points in the loss and finished with a team-high six rebounds and two blocks. Christian Rohaus (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points, including two three-pointers, to go with five rebounds and a steal.
 
As a team, the Presidents finished with a team field goal percentage of 53.6 percent, including 55.2 percent in the second half. Both teams finished the game with 44 points in the paint.
 
The Presidents will return to the hardwood at home on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when they open Presidents' Athletic Conference play against Geneva at 8 p.m.