PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The top seeded Chatham Cougars downed the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game, 81-69, Saturday evening in Pittsburgh. 
The defeat set W&J's record at 21-7 overall and 15-5 in conference play to close out their 2024-25 campaign.
 
Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) posted a team high 20 points. Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South), Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb), Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) all scored one point apart in double digits with 13, 12 and 11, respectively. Plotner and Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) dished out a team-high three assists each.
 
Rowell and Seidl both recorded seven rebounds apiece to pace the Presidents. Plotner batted down a game-high three blocks.
 
W&J scored the first five points of the game before Chatham settled in and battled back to take the lead. The Cougars kept the lead for the remainder of the first half, reaching their highest differential of the first half at the 9:00 minute mark, 30-13.
 
W&J was able to work their way back from the 17-point deficit going on an 11-4 run, kicked off by two free throws and a tip-in layup made by Acosta. Seidl drained a three and a mid-range jumper over the next two plays to bring the game back within eight points, 30-22.
 
The hosting Cougars spiked their lead back up to ten points at the 2:41 mark before a foul brought freshman Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) to the line. Plasko sank both buckets at the charity stripe. Rowell blocked a Cougars three-point shot on the next play allowing Plasko to grab the rebound and dish it to fellow freshman Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) for a fast break layup to end the half with a six-point differential in favor of the Cougars.
 
Following the break, Chatham came out hot scoring the first seven points including a triple from beyond the arc. Despite their offensive production, the Presidents fell to a 19-point deficit with 9:36 seconds left in regulation play.
 
Acosta added an impactful sequence for the Presidents, driving into the paint for a layup and converting an old fashioned three pointer after a foul was called on the play, 65-49. After a bucket from the Cougars, Acosta was dished the ball from Rowell for another layup that kept the point differential at 16.
 
W&J flashed its resilience once more in a 16-7 point run that cut the deficit to seven points with 2:06 left on the clock. The Cougars rallied and scored seven points to W&J's two points in the final two minutes, including five free throws to help push past the Presidents and claim the PAC Championship victory, 81-69.
 
The Cougars shot 30-of-58 (51.7 percent) in the contest while holding W&J to 28-of-67 (41.8 percent) from the field.
 
Chatham held a vast advantage over W&J in fast break points (21-5) as well as smaller advantages in points in the paint (40-38), bench points (10-9) and points off turnovers (23-12). The Presidents held a slight advantage in second chance points (10-8).