W&J Downs Waynesburg For Second-Straight Win
WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College basketball team earned its second consecutive victory by defeating PAC rival Waynesburg by a score of 68-59 on Saturday at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
With the victory, the Presidents (8-17, 4-12) have clinched the No. 7 seed in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, which begins Monday. W&J will play on Tuesday against an opponent still to be determined. Waynesburg (4-21, 1-15) is the No. 9 seed and will play in the opening round against either Westminster or Geneva on Monday.
The Yellow Jackets seized control of the game late in the first half with a 10-0 run, taking a seven-point lead. Freshman Andy Carter (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) ended the spurt with a pair of free throws and the Presidents went into halftime trailing 29-24.
W&J rallied to tie the game at 36-36 and then took control with a 12-0 surge midway through the second stanza. Junior guard Zach Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) netted eight points during the outburst.
The Yellow Jackets closed to within five points on two occasions during the final two minutes, but W&J held Waynesburg at bay. Larry Alexander drained a three-pointer with 12 seconds to go, making the score 64-59; however, Bellhy responded with a pair of free throws and Carter added a layup to provide the final nine-point margin of victory for the Presidents.
Carter netted 6-of-11 shots from the field and all six of his free throw attempts to pace W&J with 20 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds, while Bellhy poured in 19 points.
Senior Uchenna Okocha (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/University School) continued his hot play with 11 points and eight rebounds. Okocha scored a career-high 19 points against Geneva on Wednesday.
The Presidents turned the ball over just nine times and were aided by 85 percent (22-26) shooting from the free throw line.
Ben Altmeyer and Lou Galante both scored 11 points to lead Waynesburg.
