Strong first half propels Presidents to 68-60 win over Bethany

More news about: Washington and Jefferson

BETHANY, W. Va. -- The Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team concluded the road portion of its 2018-19 regular season schedule with a 68-60 road win over Bethany on Wednesday evening. 

With the victory, the Presidents improve to 8-7 in the PAC and 10-14 overall. W&J's eight league wins are the most by the team since the 2013-14 campaign. The Red & Black are fifth in the PAC standings with one game left on the schedule. 

The Presidents found themselves ahead early in tonight's game following a first half where they shot 12-for-24 (50.0 percent) from the field and 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) from three-point range. On the other end of the court, the Red & Black held Bethany to 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) shooting from the field and 2-for-8 (25.0 percent) from long range. This shooting performance propelled W&J to a 40-31 halftime lead.   

The second half was close, as the two teams' field goal percentages evened out. What kept the Presidents ahead was their advantage from the free throw line. W&J shot 27 free throws, making 20, while the Bison ended the game with 19 attempts from the stripe. Adding in their 8-3 advantage in made three-pointers, the Presidents were able to stay just ahead of Bethany in tonight's critical PAC contest. 

Leading the way for W&J was freshman guard Primo Zini (Morgantown, W. Va./Trinity Christian) with team-highs in both points (17) and rebounds (9) in 25 minutes of playing time. His nine boards are a new season high for the rookie, who has also tallied double-digit points in six straight games. 

Jonathan DeVito (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) was next on the team with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor and 3-for-4 shooting from behind the arc. The junior from nearby Pittsburgh, Pa. has tallied 12-plus points in back-to-back games and is third on the team with 33 three-pointers this season. 

Forwards Nicholas Campalong (Sewickley, Pa./Ambridge) and Okikiola Agbale (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) both recorded well-rounded performances. Campalong logged 10 points to go along with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Agbale came close to a double-double with seven points and eight boards in 25 minutes. 

The Presidents have just one game left in the 2018-19 regular season, as they host Grove City on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. The bout will serve as W&J's Senior Day.