WASHINGTON, Pa. – Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) poured in a game-high 21 points to help guide the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team to a 96-91 victory over visiting Allegheny College in the season finale for both teams Saturday at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. 

The Presidents earned a win on Senior Day for a fifth straight season. The victory secured the sweep of the season series for the Presidents. W&J concludes the season 8-12 in conference play and 9-16 overall. Allegheny wraps up the campaign with a 6-19 overall and 4-16 in the PAC. 
 
The game featured six ties and 17 lead changes. W&J knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers in the victory. 
 
Joining Gearhart in double figures was Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South), who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Also scoring in double figures was Ryan McCort (Saint Clairsville, Ohio/Saint Clairsville), who tallied 13 points off the bench. 
 
Earning his first collegiate start, Logo Zervos (Morgantown, W.Va./Trinity Christian) opened the scoring for the Presidents with a made three-pointer. Made three-pointers by J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.Va./University) tied the score twice. The second occasion put the score at 19-19 at the 12:30 mark. 
 
McCort caught fire midway through the first half. The sophomore drained three-pointers on three-straight possessions to help the Presidents build a 33-28 advantage with 8:27 remaining in the opening half. 
 
W&J led by as many as eight on multiple occasions later in the half. However, the visiting Gators scored the final four point to trim the deficit to 48-44 at the break. 
 
That momentum carried over into the second half for the Gators, who sank a pair of triples as part of a 10-4 run that pushed them back into the lead. W&J responded right back with 12-consecutive points to build a double-digit lead. Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) and Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) both drained triples during the run that made it 64-54 Presidents at the 16:10 mark. 
 
Allegheny seemed poised to take the victory after a hot-shooting stretch gave them an 86-78 lead with 6:31 to play. The Gators, however, went cold down the stretch and the Presidents took advantage. Four different Presidents, including three seniors, made field goals during a 15-0 run that allowed the Red and Black to seize control. Gearhart, Kaden DiVito (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) and Beckett Connelly (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) spearheaded the run. A layup by Connelly gave the Presidents an 87-86 lead with 2:34 to play. A three-pointer by Gearhart with 40 seconds to play helped W&J finish off the win. 
 
W&J outscored Allegheny by a 60-31 margin in bench points. The Presidents shot 45.5 percent for the game (35-of-77) and 14-of-34 from behind the three-point line (41.2 percent). 
 
Ryan Lang finished with 18 points to pace the Gators. 
 
W&J honored its seniors prior to the start of Saturday's contest. That group features active members of the team in Gearhart, Mazza, Zervos, DiVito, Connelly and Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell). All six active senior members of the team scored points in the win Saturday. Nevan Campalong, a member of the program all four years, was also honored Saturday.