WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team (12-4, 5-2) dropped a 79-68 final against the visiting Saint Vincent Bearcats (9-7, 4-3).
Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) headed the Presidents efforts on the night with his second double-double of the season with 13 rebounds and 10 points.
Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood) and
Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) led the team in scoring with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Plotner also added eight rebounds, five blocks and four steals.
Both units began the game slow offensively, seeing the Bearcats earn an 8-6 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the opening half. Following a 10-point lead grown by SVC, an eight-point barrage from Carte chipped away at the opposition's lead with two triple and made mid-range. Seidl and Carte powered the offense to its first lead of the game prior to the end of the half, 28-27. An and-one bucket by Plotner with 0.6 seconds remaining on the clock allowed the Presidents to take a 34-31 lead into the halftime break.
Seidl got the scoring going for both units in the second half with a layup in the paint, 36-31. The Bearcats entered an eight-point run shortly after, flipping the script on W&J as SVC took a 39-36 edge. Trips to the free throw line from Plotner and
Cameron Rowell (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) kept the Presidents within striking distance. Saint Vincent managed another scoring run, adding 11 points to their tally as they grew a double figure lead, 58-46 with 11:07 remaining.
Four points from
Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) brought the Presidents within five points with just under five minutes remaining in the final half, 66-61. Despite the Presidents' best efforts down the stretch, the aggressive Bearcat offense overpowered W&J's chances at creeping back into the conference clash, 79-68.
In a rare occurrence, W&J committed more turnovers than its opposing side with a 21-19 differential. The Presidents were also edged in the rebounding battle, 39-37. The W&J bench came in handy for W&J, outscoring the Saint Vincent bench 21-18.
W&J men's hoops returns to Salvitti Family Gymnasium for a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup against the visiting Allegheny Gators on Saturday (Jan. 24). Tipoff is set for a 3:00 p.m. start.
