WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team logged a high-scoring victory over the Franciscan Barons, 103-85.
 
Following the triumph over the Barons, the Presidents improve their overall record to 12-4 with an 8-3 mark in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. W&J is also riding a three-game win streak into their bye this weekend.
 
The last time the Presidents scored 100 in a game was this past December when head coach Ethan Stewart-Smith logged his 100^th career victory on Dec. 7 against Bethany, 100-93.
 
Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) showcased his second-half touch again this evening, dropping a new career-high 30 points with six made triples on seven attempts. Supplementing the offense with Carte, was fellow sophomore Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) who also capped the night in double figures with 17 points on a flawless 7-for-7 night from the field (3-for-3 from the free-throw line). Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) also compiled 13 points while Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) both dropped 11 points.
 
Despite early buckets by the Presidents, the Barons remained poised evening the score at nine five minutes into play. An 8-0 run by the Presidents, sparked by Plotner's paint points, led to two made triples from Rowell and Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette). W&J maintained their comfortable lead until the three-minute mark of the first half.
 
Franciscan brought the Presidents' double figure lead to within one with 1:53 remaining in the opening half. A made three from Seidl and free throws from Plotner gave the Presidents a six-point lead until the Barons replicated their output to take a 41-40 score into the half in favor of W&J.
 
Out of the break, Franciscan scored first to take an early lead in the second half. Through back-and-forth play from each side, the Presidents managed to construct a small lead through the responses from the Barons, 59-53. When Carte subbed back into the bout at the 12-minute mark, he quickly began his 20-point scoring barrage to sway the score heavily in favor of the Presidents. The sophomore guard nailed four consecutive triples to put the Presidents up 83-65 with 8:33 remaining. Courtesy of the three-point scoring clinic from Carte, the Presidents coasted to a 103-85 win over Franciscan.
 
W&J led the paint battle scoring 52 points down low to Franciscan's 44 paint points. The Presidents took advantage of their opportunities off of turnovers, holding a 27-23 point differential over the Barons.
 
Following the weekend bye, the Presidents travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Chatham Cougars Wednesday (Jan. 22). Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.