BEREA, Ohio -- The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team dropped its 2023-24 season opener by an 100-82 score to host Baldwin-Wallace University in a non-conference game at Upsprung Gymnasium Wednesday evening.

Sophomore guard Brandon Jakiela (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette) poured in a career-high 26 points to pace the Presidents (0-1). Sophomore guard Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) finished with 13 points and four assists. Sophomore forward Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) notched 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds while senior guard Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) added 12 markers and four assists. 

Baldwin-Wallace converted 51.3 percent of its field goal attempts and committed just nine turnovers. The Yellow Jackets gained an early lead and maintained a double-digit advantage for the vast majority of the evening. B-W held a decided advantage in three-point shooting. The host made 11 three-point field goals compared to just four makes from distance by the Presidents. 

A three-point field goal at the 10:31 mark gave B-W its largest lead of the first half at 35-18. The Yellow Jackets maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the opening half of play. A three-point play by Acosta in the waning stages of the first half trimmed the W&J deficit to 57-44 at halftime. 

W&J opened the second half with seven of the first nine points to close the gap back into single digits. A layup by Jakiela cut the B-W lead to 59-51. The Yellow Jackets hot-shooting continued in the second half. B-W swelled its lead to as many as 25 points when a triple made it 90-65 at the 7:45 mark. 

Ray Ellington scored a team-high 24 points and added eight rebounds to lead B-W (1-0).

W&J returns to action Friday when they hit the road for the first of two games at the Marietta College Shrine Tournament. The Presidents face the host Pioneers with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m.