LATROBE, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College Presidents (16-6, 9-4) fell 75-66 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference battle against the first-place south division Saint Vincent Bearcats (15-7, 10-3).
 
Junior captain Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) led the Presidents with 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Senior captain Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) had 11 points of his own, with a team-leading three steals. Sophomores Quinton Burlenski (Bridgeport, Ohio/Central Catholic) and Michael Plasko (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) each finished with double-digit points. Senior Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) additionally contributed eight rebounds.
 
The game showed the importance of the playoff implications right from the opening tip. Each team traded buckets and could not generate a lead of more than three points. W&J found a slight edge going into the locker room up 34-31. W&J outshot Saint Vincent 41.9% to 31.7%. Despite the advantage heading into the break, the Bearcats outrebounded the Presidents, 27-22.
 
W&J opened the second half on a 9-4 run heading into the under-16 media timeout, sparked by five points from junior Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood). Saint Vincent returned with a run of their own as the Bearcats cut the W&J lead down to three with just over 10 minutes to play. Following the final media timeout, the Bearcats closed the game on an 11-4 run to take the 75-66 victory.
 
Both teams ended up shooting 39% from the field and defensive rebounds were tied at 28. Similar to the first meeting of the season between these two teams, the Bearcats capitalized in transition and second chance scoring. SVC held advantages in second chance points (25-16), fast break points (13-8) and points off of turnovers (11-8).
 
The Presidents continue their short road trip when they travel to face the Thiel Tomcats on Saturday (Feb. 14). Tipoff from Greenville is slated for 3:00 p.m.