WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Saint Vincent at the end of regulation cost the Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team a win in its PAC opener, as the Presidents fell in overtime, 84-78. 

With the loss the Red & Black fall to 2-5 on the year and to 0-1 to begin league play. The Bearcats, on the other hand, improve to 6-1 following tonight's dramatic victory. 

With about three seconds left on the clock, Primo Zini (Morgantown, W. Va./Trinity Christian) sank a pair of free throws to put the Presidents up 69-66. SVC inbounded the ball to Cletus Helton, who ran across half court and fired a three-pointer that deflected off the backboard and into the net. 

Prior to the bucket to force overtime, W&J held the lead for a good portion of the second half. A 9-0 run by W&J while trailing 48-45 at the 10:40 mark of the second half gave the Presidents a six-point advantage, 54-48, and it marked the Presidents' last deficit before OT. Zini sparked the run with a 3-point play, while Cameron Seemann (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) and Jonathan DeVito (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) both sank shots from behind the arc. 

It was at that point, however, that the Bearcats started to chip away at their deficit. W&J's lead began to fall each minute until Saint Vincent hit the aforementioned Hail Mary three-pointer to knot the score at 69-all to force overtime.

Zini ended the contest as the Presidents' leading scorer with 22 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting from the floor. The rookie also added three rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes of playing time to round out his day. Zini has tallied 20-plus points in two of his last three games. 

Seemann also impressed in tonight's defeat, putting up 19 points and a career-high nine rebounds in a team-leading 38 minutes. Zach Queen (Jeannette, Pa./Hempfield Area) rounded out W&J's double-digit scorers with 12 points and a team-high three treys in 27 minutes. 

The Presidents continue PAC play on Saturday, Dec. 1, with a road 3 p.m. tilt against Geneva.