Presidents' Duo Earns All-PAC Laurels
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Washington & Jefferson College seniors Brian Felker (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and Paul Matthews (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem) earned Second Team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball laurels as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
It’s the second-straight year the seniors were honored by the PAC. Felker was on the All-PAC Second Team last season, while Matthews earned an honorable-mention selection. Felker was also an honorable-mention performer on the 2009 All-PAC squad.
Matthews (14.1 ppg) and Felker (14.0 ppg) led the Presidents this season in scoring, and ranked sixth and seventh in the PAC, respectively. Matthews ranked 11th in the PAC in rebounding (6.1 rpg), including second in defensive rebounds (5.52 rpg), and was seventh in free-throw percentage (76 percent). Felker was fifth in the league in free throw percentage (79.1 percent) and 10th in three-point percentage (38.3 percent) during his final year with the Presidents.
Matthews knocked down numerous clutch baskets late in games for the Presidents all season. Most recently on Feb. 9, Matthews scored nine of his team-high 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation to close out a 64-56 victory over Westminster. In the previous game, the senior transfer from Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) in 2008 knocked down a turnaround jumper to lift the Presidents to a 68-64 win over Thomas More. Earlier in the year, Matthews hit a running layup with 48 seconds remaining to put W&J ahead by a basket before it earned a 71-68 win at Westminster (Jan. 8).
Matthews finishes his career with 697 points in 54 games (49 starts) at W&J. He has amassed 278 rebounds, 78 assists and shot 39.9 percent (218-of-547) from the field during his two-plus year career. The 6-foot-3 senior knocked down 97-of-287 (33.8 percent) of his three-pointers and 164-of-203 (80.3 percent) of his free throws.
A 6-foot-4 swingman, Felker scored his 1,000th career point on a buzzer-beating layup at the end of a 75-67 loss to Kenyon on Nov. 23. It was his 89th appearance for the Presidents as the senior scored 1,000 points without making a single start to that point in his career.
Felker ended his career as the eighth-best scorer in school history with 1,324 career points. He drained 402 of his 931 shots (43.2 percent) from the field, including 117-of-332 (35.2 percent) from three-point range. He amassed 465 rebounds, 95 assists and was a career 80.9 percent (411-of-508) free throw shooter. He ended his career tied with W&J senior Nick Morelli (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) for the most games played in school history at 111. Felker made 18 starts during his senior year.
W&J’s season ended last Tuesday in a 58-57 loss to Thomas More in the PAC Tournament Quarterfinals at the Henry Memorial Center. Washington & Jefferson finished 11-15 overall and 8-6 in PAC play.
