W&J Hosts 1st Annual Washington Area Teachers Federal Credit Union Tip-Off Tournament
The Washington & Jefferson College men’s basketball team hosts the First Annual Washington Area Teachers Federal Credit Union Tournament this weekend at the Henry Memorial Center.
Muskingum faces NAIA Division II Davenport (Mich.) in the tournament’s opening game at 6:00 pm on Saturday. The Presidents take on Pitt-Titusville at 8:00 pm. The championship contest will be played at 4:00 pm Sunday, immediately following the consolation game at 2:00 pm.
Washington & Jefferson and Muskingum are the only teams to have matched up previously throughout history. The Muskies hold a 19-14 advantage in the all-time series and the schools will face each other later this season (Nov. 26) in Ohio.
W&J won its third-straight season opener Tuesday, rallying from 16 points down at halftime against Penn State-DuBois to win 85-83. Junior guard Zach Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) accounted for 25 points on 8-11 shooting from both the floor and the free-throw stripe. Sophomore Brett Rubin-Goldstein (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) nailed five three-pointers on his way to a career-high 18 points, while freshman Doug Johnson (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) impressed in his collegiate debut, contributing 14 points. The Presidents shot 53 percent from the field (26-49) and hit 8-of-20 three-point shots.
Muskingum erased an 18-point, second half deficit Tuesday, only to fall in overtime 71-69 to Kenyon in its season opener. Kyle Clinedinst led the Muskies with a career-best 25 points. He also added a game-high nine rebounds, while Josh Brindley added 10 points and eight rebounds. Muskingum struggled from the free-throw line, hitting just 50 percent (13-26) of its chances.
Davenport is the No. 3 ranked team in the NAIA Division II Top 25 poll. The Panthers knocked off Daemen College Thursday night by a score of 85-75 to improve to 5-0. James Nelson fired in 24 points Thursday evening, while JaVontae Ford came off the bench to score 20.
Pitt-Titusville fell to Genesee Community College 94-62 on Thursday evening, ending its two-game winning streak. The Panthers are 3-4 this season and are a member of the United States Community College Athletic Association.
