PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Washington & Jefferson college men's basketball downed No. 19 ranked Carnegie Mellon on the road in their first win against the foe since 2000-01 season. This win marks W&J's first victory over a ranked since the defeat of No. 21 ranked Wooster in 2008-09.
 
After snapping their three-game win streak in a loss to PAC opponent Saint Vincent over the weekend, the Presidents picked up an important win over the No. 19 ranked Tartans behind Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) and his season-high 20-point effort. Plasko drained 8-of-14 attempts from the field including shooting 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Plasko added one rebound, two assists and a steal in his 30 minutes of playing time.
 
Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg South) flanked Plasko, adding 18 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field, and draining his only attempted shot from beyond the arc. Plotner also pulled down 10 rebounds to complete his fourth double-double of the season. The sophomore forward also denied a team-high three blocks in his 34 minutes of play.
 
Freshmen Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) and Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) joined Plasko and Plotner in double figures as they each contributed 12 points each to the team total. Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) led the team with three assists and four steals.
 
A layup from Plotner followed by a three-pointer from Burlenski spurred the Presidents to a 5-0 start. CMU answered with two buckets of their own to cut the deficit to one point before a fastbreak layup from Seidl set the score at 7-3 at the 15:32 mark. Over the next minute CMU took the lead, 10-7.
 
The Presidents were able to corral the Tartans lead to remain within a six-point deficit while battling to regain the upper hand. Their opportunity came when a jump shot and dunk by Plotner tied the bout at 31 with 2:05 remaining in the first half.
 
A fast break layup first from Plasko followed by another bucket on the break from Plotner then gave the Presidents a four-point lead at the end the half, ahead 35-31. The Tartans were unable to gain another lead for the rest of the outing.
 
After back-and-forth scoring to start the second half, an 8-0 scoring spree boosted the Presidents to a 50-37 lead. The unanswered stretch included two layups by Rowell, triple by sophomore Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood), and a free throw from Plotner.
 
W&J gained their largest lead of the game between the 2:43 and 2:08 second marks in the closing half. Burlenski glided to a coast-to-coast layup before Seidl was sent twice to the line to sink all four free throws, gaining a 17-point advantage in favor of the Red & Black.
 
Despite the offensive effort of the Tartans, W&J came away with an 84-73 victory over their ranked opponent.
 
The Presidents managed to capitalize on their fastbreak opportunities, holding a 12-4 edge. W&J also held strong advantages in points off of turnovers (29-12) and bench points (36-8). Carnegie Mellon held advantages in the rebounding battle (40-39), paint points (44-38) and second-chance points (12-9).
 
The victory elevates the Presidents to an 8-3 overall record. The loss is the second of the year for the Tartans and drops them to a 7-2 overall record in nonconference play.
 
W&J returns home to face off against Capital on Thursday (Dec. 19). Start time is set for 2:00 p.m. in the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.