W&J reaches 100 in win
Down a pair of starters the Washington & Jefferson men’s basketball team did what they needed to do to secure a 100-93 overtime victory over the visiting Saint Vincent Bearcats Saturday afternoon in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
The win is the sixth straight for the Presidents, who improve to 7-1 overall and remain perfect in PAC play at 5-0. The Bearcats fell to 3-2 in conference play and 6-2 overall despite a game-high 27 points from Tayler McNeal.
Just as they have done throughout the early-season slate, W&J relied on its depth and full-court pressure to turn the tide in the victory. The Presidents, who were without Kyran Mitchell and Nick Gearhart, racked up 45 bench points and forced 27 turnovers in Saturday’s win. W&J also used efficiency on the offensive end to claim the victory. The Presidents connected on 20 of 36 shots in the first half (55.6 percent) and 17-of-30 shots (56.6 percent) in the second half. W&J made all four of its field goal attempts and seven-of-11 free throws in overtime.
Four Presidents scored in double figures. Leading the way was freshman Brandon Jakiela turned in another strong effort with 19 points off the bench. Fellow freshman Matt Seidl registered 17 points in a his first collegiate start and played a season-high 36 minutes. Sophomore Michael Bigley finished with 13 points and a season-high eight assists. Junior J.R. Mazza overcame a slow start to finish with 12 points, including a pair of clutch three-point field goals in crunch time.
Cal men lose: The California University men’s basketball team was unable to overcome a second-half surge on Saturday night, as it suffered an 89-71 loss at Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Crossover play.
With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in conference action. Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles snapped a 12-game losing streak in the series as they improve to 6-1 this season behind a 2-0 mark in league contests.
Waynesburg men win: The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team took a break from Presidents’ Athletic Conference play to welcome Penn State Behrend to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets never trailed on the day, but had to hold off a feisty Lions team as the home team picked up arguably its best win of the season, a 62-57 triumph.
Graduate student Matt Popeck made the first shot of the game, a three-pointer. Behrend (3-5) answered with a three-pointer of its own to tie the score, before the host squad took early control of the game with a 13-3 run that was capped with a layup by junior Antone Baker.
Women’s results
W&J wins: The Washington & Jefferson women’s basketball team remained unbeaten in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play after using a fast start to take a 66-51 win over Saint Vincent College Saturday afternoon at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
The win is the six straight for W&J, who improves to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the PAC. Saint Vincent falls to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Cal women fall: After being limited to just 23 points in the first half, the No. 15 California University Vulcans dropped a 70-62 contest at Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play on Saturday evening.
With the loss, the California (PA) women’s basketball team falls to 4-3 overall with a 0-2 record in league action. The Vulcans have lost back-to-back games for the first time since January 2020 and suffered their first loss in the series since the 1999-00 campaign (31 games). Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles improve to 4-2 this season and 2-0 in conference play, winning both games against teams that appeared in the 2022 PSAC Tournament.
Waynesburg still winless: The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team traveled to Pittsburgh to take on perennial powerhouse Carnegie Mellon. The Yellow Jackets fell 91-48.
The Tartans (7-0) set the tone early by outscoring Waynesburg (0-7) 28-5 in the first quarter. CMU’s lead grew to 47-19 by halftime as the home team went on to pick up the win.