Jan 22, 2023 5 min read

The Washington & Jefferson College men’s basketball team erased a nine-point halftime deficit to run away with an 81-68 home win Saturday afternoon over the visiting Thiel Tomcats at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.

The win improves the Presidents to 10-3 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play and 13-5 overall. The victory helps W&J maintain at least a share of first place in the conference. Thiel falls to 7-6 in the PAC and 8-8 overall on the season.

The first half of play was littered with lead changes as both teams hit hot and cold streaks.

Thiel took the first commanding lead of the game coming at the 8:58 mark as Beni Lavodrama made two free throws at the line to put the Tomcats up 12 with about 9 minutes remaining in the half. W&J was able to inch back to a single-digit deficit before the half but ultimately could not get closer as the Tomcats carried a nine-point advantage (44-35) heading into the half.

W&J freshman big man Alex Acosta contributed eight points and five rebounds off the bench in the first half.

Sparked by their captains’ play, W&J put together a strong second half to secure the victory. Just four minutes into the second half, the Presidents quickly evened the score with a Michael Bigley layup. A scoring barrage put together by Kyran Mitchell and the Presidents turn a double-digit deficit into a 12-point lead. Mitchell dropped nine points and tallied five assists in the second half.

Cal falls to IUP: Facing one of two remaining undefeated teams in the country, the California Vulcans were unable to overcome a second-half surge on Saturday afternoon while suffering an 87-70 loss at No. 1 IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West action.

With the loss, Cal falls to 7-10 this season, 4-7 in league play. The Vulcans and Crimson Hawks met in the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship, the fourth meeting between the teams last year. Meanwhile, three-time, defending-PSAC champion IUP remains undefeated at 17-0 overall with an 11-0 record in conference play.

Sophomore Cam Polak tallied 21 points after going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Additionally, he notched five rebounds and two assists. Polak ranks third on the team in scoring this year at 13.9 points per game and sits second in the league with 43 three-pointers made.

Redshirt freshman Donald Whitehead, Jr. finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench, while redshirt junior Jermaine Hall, Jr. posted 16 points behind four three-pointers and eight rebounds. Freshman KJ McClurg added nine points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists on Saturday.

Waynesburg loses: The Yellow Jackets led for the vast majority of the game, but for a second-straight time, they suffered late-game heart break, as Bethany pulled out a 61-58 win.

Despite playing without an injured Matt Popeck, who came into the day as the number-four scorer in the PAC (17.6 ppg.), Waynesburg (4-13, 2-11) built a 15-8 lead after the first 9:18 of action. Four Jackets scored during the strong start. Junior Antone Baker, junior Jansen Knotts, sophomore Trevon Ridley and freshman Scott Bilovus all found the bottom of the hoop during the run.

Women’s results

IUP drops Cal: Despite a staggering 21 rebounds by senior Rajah Fink, California (PA) suffered a 71-65 loss at IUP on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West play.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 10-7 overall behind a 6-5 record in league action. Cal swept the three-game series with IUP last year yet has lost three of the last four meetings at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 13-3 this season with an 8-3 mark in conference play under interim head coach Craig Carey, son of former longtime West Virginia head coach Mike Carey.

Fink registered her 11th double-double of the year, as she also scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting on Saturday. Her 21 rebounds are the most by a player in the PSAC this season and are tied for the seventh-most in NCAA Division II this year. Fink became the first Cal player with at least 20 rebounds in a game since Kayla Smith collected 20 rebounds in the 2007-08 campaign, while the 21 rebounds rank as the highest single-game total since Sameera Philyaw tallied 23 rebounds against Cheyney during the 2003-04 season.

Waynesburg comes up short: Waynesburg hosted more than three dozen of its former Yellow Jacket women’s basketball players, who were recognized at halftime. However, the current Jackets couldn’t send their predecessors home with a victory, as Bethny scored a 75-54 win Saturday.

Waynesburg (2-10, 2-15) opened the scoring with a field goal from senior guard Anika Dansby. That was the last time the Yellow Jackets held the lead on the day, as Bethany (5-8, 5-13) ended the first quarter with a 17-10 advantage.