STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team (7-2, 2-0) battled their way to an 86-82 overtime victory against the Franciscan University Barons (5-2, 1-1) in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. The Presidents extended their current winning streak to four consecutive victories.
 
The captains showed their leadership and led the way for the Presidents in the victory. Senior Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) finished the day with a season-high 30 points and seven rebounds. Senior Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) also had a season-high with 20 points and five rebounds. Junior Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) finished the day with his third double-double of the season, 18 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. Sophomore Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) picked up six steals on defense throughout the contest.
 
The Barons got the lead up to twelve with a 39-27 advantage late in the first half, but W&J slowly clawed away at the deficit prior to the halftime break. The Presidents went on an 8-0 run to end the first half and enter the locker room down by four. The team shot 50% from the field and 75% from the free throw line during the opening 20 minutes.
 
W&J continued their run into the second half and got their first lead since there were 18 minutes left in the opening half. From there, the two teams traded buckets for the rest of the half. The largest lead by either team was four throughout the closing frame. Neither team could find an edge as the game went into overtime tied at 72.
 
The Presidents got out to an early five-point lead in overtime. Junior Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) scored seven of his nine total points in overtime. Seidl made two important free throws to secure the win. W&J finished the game shooting 49.2% from the floor and 63.9% from the free throw line.
 
W&J has a short break before returning on Tuesday (Dec. 16) to continue their four-game road trip at Capital. Tip off from Bexley, Ohio is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.