WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team (5-2) defeated the No. 21 ranked Maryville (Tenn.) Scots (6-2) by a 79-75 final score in the 2025 Great Lakes Invitational finale.
 
Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) led the Presidents to their ranked victory with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and four steals. The junior forward picked up his second double-double of the season.
 
Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) also chipped in 17 points, being named to the 2025 Great Lakes Invitational All-Tournament Team. Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic), Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) and Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) all added 10 points on the night.
 
The Presidents opened the GLI finale with a 10-point advantage over the Scots, 16-6. Consecutive triples from Burlenski and Carte got the ball rolling in the first two possessions. A Plotner dunk on a fast break grew the W&J lead to 16 points with under nine minutes to play in the first half, 36-20.
 
Maryville slowly began chipping away at the lead in the closing minutes of the first half, reducing the lead to 39-32 with four minutes remaining. Four points in the paint from Plotner and a fastbreak layup from Seidl helped W&J take a double figure lead into the half, 45-35.
 
Shortly after the break, the Scots brought the lead back to a four-point advantage with 15 minutes remaining, 52-48. W&J briefly brought the lead back to nine before the opposition evened the score for the first time since the beginning of the contest at 61 halfway through the second half.
 
W&J maintained a lead and tie rhythm to the final minutes of action. Tied at 73, the Scots scored on a layup in the paint to take a two-point edge with 51 seconds left. Seconds later on the next W&J possession, Carte nailed a three-point attempt to put the Presidents up 76-75 with 30 seconds remaining. A clutch steal by Carte on the opposite end set the Presidents up for the win. Carte made two free throws and Plotner made one free throw in the closing moments to ensure the 79-75 victory.
 
Despite being outrebounded (41-30), W&J won the turnover battle (16-12), excelling in their opportunities on the fastbreak (22-11) and off of turnovers (24-13).
 
The Presidents receive a well-earned break until Wednesday (Dec. 3) when they face off with the visiting Chatham Cougars. The Presidents' Athletic Conference opener is set for a 5:30 p.m. start.