CHESTER, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team (2-1) won a down to the wire thriller in the opening game of the Widener Tip-Off Tournament with a 62-60 victory over Arcadia (2-1).
 
The Presidents were led offensively by Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) and Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) with 14 points each. Acosta also hauled in 13 rebounds to combine for his first double-double of the season.
 
The Presidents opened up the first half of action with a 6-2 lead, generated by triples from Acosta and Burlenski. Battling through lead changes, the Presidents worked to a 22-13 edge with 9:11 remaining in the half. Three pointers from Burlenski and Nick Sukernek (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) aided in the Presidents nine-point swing.
 
A floater from Burlenski and a make from beyond the arc by Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) helped W&J grow its advantage to 30-20, the first double figure lead of the contest. The chipped away at the W&J lead prior to the halftime break, 37-30.
 
W&J opened the second half of play with a triple from Burlenski and two free throws from Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) to enlarge their lead back to double figures, 42-32. The Knights immediately responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the half, 44-42. A layup from Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) and made free throw from the Knights brough the score to 60 all with 2:07 remaining.
 
Blocks from Acosta and Plotner held the Knights at bay in the final minutes. With seconds remaining, Burlenski missed a three-point attempt which was caught and tipped in by Acosta with 2.1 seconds remaining for the victory, 62-60.
 
The Presidents were outmatched in the paint, being outscored 40-18 in paint points and outrebounded 43-34. Despite the rarity in the paint for W&J, the team got valuable points from their rotation off the bench (19-5) and from beyond the arc (41.4%, 12-for-29).
 
W&J returns for their second game of the Widener Tip-Off Tournament, facing the Penn State Abington Nittany Lions. The third game of the tournament is scheduled for a 2:00 PM start.