WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Cameron Seemann (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) drained back-to-back jumpers inside the final minute, including the game winner with 0.3 seconds left, to lift the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team to a dramatic 75-74 victory over visiting Saint Vincent College on Saturday afternoon at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
W&J moves to 5-4 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play and 10-8 overall. The loss was the fourth straight for Saint Vincent, who falls to 4-5 in the league and 9-9 overall.
The win was the first for the Presidents over the Bearcats since Jan. 3, 2011. The victory also helped W&J avenge a 93-71 loss at Saint Vincent back on Dec. 4.
The game was back and forth throughout, as both teams converted more than 50 percent of their shots from the field. However, the visitors appeared poised for another victory in the head-to-head series after a late run pushed their lead into double digits.
After a layup by senior Jonathan DeVito (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) trimmed the Saint Vincent lead to three points with 5:58 to play, the visitors used a 10-3 run to build a 74-64 advantage with just 3:13 remaining. The 10-point lead was the largest of the game for the Bearcats, who led for more than 37 of the possible 40 minutes.
On this day, the Presidents would not be denied the victory. Back-to-back baskets by junior Zach Queen (Jeannette, Pa./Hempfield) and Devito pulled the Presidents within six at 74-68 with 2:26 left. After a defensive stop, the Presidents cut the deficit in half on a three-pointer with 1:30 remaining.
The W&J defense would come through again on the ensuing possession, as DeVito pounced on a loose ball in the corner and called timeout. Seemann would then connect on a mid-range jumper to bring the Presidents within a point at 74-73 with 46 seconds left.
The Presidents defense was up to the task once more, as the unit collected its fourth straight stop after a missed jump shot by the Bearcats. With no timeouts remaining, the Presidents raced the other way to set up its final shot for victory. With the clock winding down, Seemann dribbled towards the basket before putting up to drain the game-winning shot with 0.3 ticks left on the clock.
After a back-and-forth first three minutes left the score tied at seven, the Bearcats took a 16-7 lead following at 9-0 with 14:04 to play in the first half.
The Presidents responded by scoring 11 of the game's next 14 points. The run featured two jumpers by sophomore Primo Zini, a pair of layups by classmate Alexander Skowron (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) and then a three-pointer from senior Adam Alexander (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland). The spurt placed the Presidents within one, trailing 19-18 with 8:38 remaining in the half.
SVC extended its lead back up to eight, 30-22, with four minutes remaining in the half. Skowron responded with consecutive layups and Seemann knocked in a three to bring the Presidents back down 30-29. Skowron's layup with 27 seconds left in the half pushed him into double figures in the first half alone, but a three by the Bearcat's Reed Hipps at the buzzer gave SVC a 35-31 halftime advantage.
W&J opened the second half with back-to-back baskets to even the score at 35. The Presidents took their first lead of the game shortly thereafter when DeVito knocked down a triple to make the score 38-37. The Bearcats quickly countered back by scoring 11 of the next 16 points to take a seven-point edge (49-42) at the 12:58 mark. The visitors would continue to hold the lead until the final shot by Seemann.
The Presidents made 50 percent of their shots from the field, draining 31-of-62 attempts. W&J drained 18-of-30 attempts in the second half, which included 5-of-7 from behind the three-point line over the final 20 minutes. The Bearcats converted 54.7 percent (29-for-53) from the field and made 8-of-15 from behind the three-point line.
Four Presidents finished in double figures, as DeVito posted 15 points and six assists to lead the way. Sophomore forward Okikiola Agbale (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Skowron added 12 points and eight boards down low. Seemann chipped in 10 points, including the final four markers in the W&J victory.
David Stephen was one of three Bearcats to score in double figures, as the junior tallied a team-high 13 points.
W&J posted a 35-25 edge in rebounding over Saint Vincent. Both teams took care of the basketball, as each team finished with just eight turnovers. The eight turnovers was a season-low for the Presidents.
The Presidents travel to Geneva College for a conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Start time is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Metheny Fieldhouse in Beaver Falls.