ELMHURST, Ill. -- The Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team concluded their historic 2021-22 season with a 95-70 loss to No. 16 Elmhurst University in an NCAA Tournament First Round game Friday evening at R.A. Faganel Hall.

The win advances Elmhurst (23-6 overall) to face Pomona-Pitzer, who outlasted Northwestern (Minn.) by a 67-66 score earlier in the day Friday.

The Presidents finish the season at 24-5 overall. W&J entered the game with an 12-game winning streak overall and a 16-game road winning streak that dated back to the start of the 2020-21 season. 

Three Presidents finished in double figures scoring. Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) led the way by posting a double-double effort. Langston tallied 15 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. 

Michael Bigley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) matched Langston for the team high with 15 points of his own. Bigley, just named PAC Newcomer of the Year on Wednesday, added four assists for W&J. Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the loss.

Okikiola Agbale (Pittsburgh,Pa./Shaler) posted eight points, a career-high six assists and added six rebounds in his final appearance for the Red and Black. Dirk Daniels (Phillipsburg, N.J./Blair Academy) recorded the only two blocks in the game for the Presidents. W&J played most of the game without All-PAC First Team selection Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic), who exited the game after just one minute. 

Elmhurst scored the first 10 points of the night and dominated from the outset. Gearhart's three-pointer with 8:17 remaining in the first half cut Elmhurst's lead to 12 (28-16). A 13-4 run over the next 2:28 pushed the Blue Jays' lead to 21 (41-20). Elmhurst carried a 24-point lead (55-31) into halftime. 

A good three-pointer by J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.VA./University) would close the game to 60-42 in the second half. However, the Bluejays would go on to lead by as many as 30 points in the second half en route to victory. 

Ocean Johnson lead four Elmhurst players in double figures, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Wesley Hooker had 20 points and six assists while Lavon Thomas added 15 points and eight rebounds. Dominic Genco had 10 points. 

Both teams shot the ball better than 40 percent from the field. W&J converted 31-of-67 attempts (46.3 percent) while Elmhurst connected on 49.3 percent (36-of-73) from the field. Elmhurst held a distinct edge at the free throw line. The host Blue Jays made 16-of-23 attempts at the charity stripe. The Presidents, who entered among the top five in the nation in free throw attempts and free throw makes, made two of just five attempts Friday night. 

This marks the third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since the 1993-94 season for W&J. The Presidents advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 in 1993-94. W&J also earned a berth in the 1984-85 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. 

W&J loses Agbale, Jacob Davenport (Camberley, England/Charnwood College), and Alexander Skowron (Sewickley, Pa./uaker Valley). The class put together a 55-35 overall record the past four seasons.