Washington & Jefferson (12-3, 5-1) vs. Saint Vincent (8-7, 3-3) 

When: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Where: Washington, Pa.
Court: Salvitti Family Gymnasium
Tipoff: 5:30 p.m.

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THE SERIES: Washington & Jefferson and Saint Vincent meet on the hardwood for the 78th time in the history of the series between the schools. The Bearcats hold a 44-33 advantage and have won five out of the last six against the Presidents. W&J won the most recent matchup after claiming an 87-79 victory over Saint Vincent in last season's PAC semifinal. The last time the squads faced off in Washington came in the form of a 90-71 Saint Vincent victory in December 2024. The last time W&J defeated the Bearcats at home was a 100-93 victory back in the 2022-23 season.
 
THE PLOT THICKENS: Junior forward Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) has been one of the premier defenders in Division III this season. He currently ranks eighth in the division with 44 blocks. The big man's block total is 18 blocks higher than the second-highest total in the PAC. The junior also ranks 37th in Division III with 39 steals. Plotner leads the Presidents in scoring with an average of 15.5 points per game. He scored a career-high 33 points in the Presidents' December 19 win at La Roche. Plotner was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week for his play over the winter break.
 
WHAT HAPPENED LAST SEASON?: W&J and Saint Vincent matched up three times last season, including a meeting in the PAC Tournament Semifinals.
 
The squads first met in December 2024, in Washington. Dev Ostrowski poured in 38 points for the Bearcats and led Saint Vincent to a 90-71 win.
 
The teams met again in Latrobe in February where the Bearcats were victorious 93-90. The Bearcats led by 14 with 1:47 to go, but the Presidents were able to cut the Saint Vincent deficit to two but had a potential game-winning three pointer rim out to allow Saint Vincent to close it out.
 
The programs met again in the PAC Semifinals, where W&J was finally able to get the better of Saint Vincent.  Despite losing the turnover battle, the Presidents were able to outshoot the Bearcats, going 48.2% from the field.
 
THEY'RE FREE: One area in which W&J has struggled to begin the season is free throw shooting. The Presidents have shot at a 63% clip from the stripe, ranking in the bottom quartile of Division III and last in the PAC.
 
IMPRESSIVE RESUME: The Presidents have gotten off to an impressive 12-3 start to the season. This includes quality non-conference wins over Case Western Reserve, Arcadia, Capital, and then-21st-ranked Maryville. The Presidents stand at 5-1 in PAC play, including wins over two of the top contenders in the South division in Chatham and Franciscan, as well as Geneva who stands tied for the lead in the North division. The lone conference loss for the Jaymen came against Bethany.
 
ACOSTA THE ANCHOR: After a junior season that included time lost to injury, senior forward Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) has been a model of consistency for the Presidents. The 2023-24 All-PAC First Team selection averages 12.5 points per game at a 58.8% clip from the field. Acosta stands at 943 career points and looks to become the 28th player in program history to score 1,000 points.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT: The Presidents have kept their identity of swarming full-court defense intact. W&J has forced 20.13 turnovers per game and holds an average turnover margin of +6.6, ranking 12th in Division III for both statistics.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: W&J has been dominant at home during the last five seasons. The Presidents hold a 43-13 record in the Salvitti Family Gymnasium over the last five seasons.
 
W&J VS. THE PAC:
Team                               Record (Pct.)
Allegheny                        59-46 (.621)
Bethany                           108-89 (.548)
Chatham                         12-12 (.500)
Franciscan                     12-3 (.800)
Geneva                            44-47 (.484)
Grove City                       66-72 (.478)
Hiram                                24-24 (.500)
Saint Vincent                 33-43 (.434)
Thiel                                   97-47 (.674)
Waynesburg                   68-58 (.540)
Westminster                  41-62 (.398)
Total                               564-503 (.529)
 
PAC LEADERS: Listed below are statistics which have Presidents ranked in the top 10 of the PAC (all statistics and rankings as of the morning of January 20, 2026):

- Points Per Game: (15.5) Plotner (10th)
- Rebounds Per Game: (7.1) Plotner (6th), (7.0) Acosta (7th)
- Field Goal Percentage: (.597) Plotner (1st)
- Blocks: (44) Plotner (1st)
- Blocks Per Game: (2.93) Plotner (1st)
- Steals Per Game: (2.6) Plotner (3rd), (2.6) Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) (4th), (1.8) Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) (8th), (1.7) Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) (t-9th)
- Minutes Per Game: (32.7) Siedl (6th), (31.7) Plotner (t-10th)