WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team held a 12-point halftime lead over Chatham in PAC play today, but were unable to maintain the momentum in a 62-57 home setback at the Henry Memorial Center. 

With the defeat today, the Presidents drop to 6-5 in conference and 8-12 overall. Chatham is now tied with W&J at 6-5 in the PAC. 

For the second consecutive game, the Presidents stormed out to an early lead. W&J went ahead 21-13 after the first 11 minutes. Zach Queen (Jeannette, Pa./Hempfield Area) sparked an 11-2 run early in the game with a pair of three-pointers that gave the Red & Black their 21-13 advantage. 

The point margin hovered around eight for the remainder of the half, until another Queen trey put the Presidents up 39-27 heading into the break. Queen finished the half with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting, while Cameron Seemann (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) led all players with 14 points. As a team, the Red & Black shot 15-for-26 (57.7 percent) from the floor in the half and 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from deep. 

These roles reversed in the second half, as Chatham began to shoot the lights out of the ball. Despite taking a game-high 15-point lead, 47-32, at the 15:23 mark, W&J was unable to put the scrappy Cougars away. Chatham reeled off an 11-0 run over the next five-plus minutes to make it 47-43. 

Chatham's comeback continued over the next four minutes until they knotted the score at 52-all with 4:35 left in the game. The Cougars then took a late 59-52 lead that looked to seal the game. W&J did not quit, however, cutting the deficit to 59-57 with 49 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Presidents, two missed free throws that would have tied the game at 59 with 18 seconds remaining ended the comeback. 

For the half, the Red & Black shot just 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) from the floor. On the other end, Chatham went 12-for-29 (41.4 percent). 

Seemann led all players in scoring with 20 points in 29 minutes. The sophomore guard shot 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from the floor and 4-for-6 (66.7 percent) from deep. 

Queen was next on the team with 17 points on 4-for-8 shooting from behind the arc. The sophomore sharp-shooter has scored 17-plus points in four of his last five games, which includes a seven-game streak of hitting at least three three-pointers. Queen (62) is one trey shy of reaching second on the program's single-season three-point leaderboard. 

Primo Zini (Morgantown, W. Va./Trinity Christian) was the final President in double-figures with 10. Sven Zepic (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) paced the Red & Black on defense with a game-high four steals to go along with six rebounds. He logged three of those steals in the second half, which included two in the final 46 seconds that almost helped the Presidents tie the game. 

W&J hits the road for its next bout, heading to New Wilmington, Pa. on Wednesday, Jan. 26, for an 8 p.m. clash against Westminster.