HIRAM, Ohio – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team (12-3, 5-1 PAC) fought to the end to grind out a 95-82 win on the road against the Hiram Terriers (5-11, 1-5 PAC) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference showdown.
 
Sophomore Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) poured in a game-high 23 points off the bench. Senior captain Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and junior forward Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South), along with junior Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) each had 17 points apiece. Plotner filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, five steals, and three blocks.
 
The two teams traded runs to open the game. Hiram opened the scoring on an 8-2 run, but W&J responded with a 13-3 run of their own to go up by a 15-11 margin. Both teams settled into the game and traded buckets throughout the remainder of the first half. The Terriers couldn't build a lead larger than five before the Presidents clawed right back to even the score. The first half featured three ties and nine lead changes. The two teams went into the locker room tied at 41.
 
W&J found their way to the line often in the first half, shooting 70% from the free throw line on 20 total attempts. The Presidents as a team shot 41.9% in the first half. W&J also got many second chance attempts, out rebounding Hiram 7-2 from the offensive glass.
 
The Terriers came out of the locker room going up by seven and held that margin to start the second half. W&J found an extra gear to regain the lead and close out the game. A five-point swing by Seidl with around 11 minutes left in the game sparked a Presidents' run. W&J went on a 14-0 run to reclaim the lead for good. The Terriers tried to make a late push, but the W&J defense held strong and would not let Hiram cut the deficit back into a one possession game.  
 
W&J outscored the Terriers 12-6 on second-chance points in the second half. The team also shot 60% from the field over the final 20 minutes to give them the offensive push they needed to secure the double-digit victory.  
 
W&J returns home to Salvitti Family Gymnasium on Wednesday (Jan. 21) to take on the Saint Vincent Bearcats. Start time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.