WASHINGTON, Pa. -- AJ Blue (Kensington, Md./Sidwell Friends (D.C.) drained a clutch three-pointer with 4.4 seconds left in regulation to force overtime as the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team picked up a dramatic 82-74 comeback victory over Westminster College Wednesday night.
The Presidents, who trailed the Titans by nine points (69-60) with just 2:17 to play, recorded the final nine points of regulation to force the extra session. Zach Queen(Jeannette, Pa./Hempfield) started the comeback with a triple with 1:59 to play that brought the Presidents within six (69-63). After two missed shots by Westminster, Cameron Seemann (Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) tacked on another triple to make it a one possession game at 69-66 at the 1:14 mark.
Following another defensive stop, the Presidents called a timeout to set up a shot at a potential game-tying three. Blue missed the initial game-tying attempt but the Presidents retained the ball after the ball went out of bounds off of Westminster. Undeterred after his first miss at the game-tying shot, Blue used a stepback to gain separation before burying a triple to even the score at 69-69. The Titans had one final look at the other end but the shot was off the mark.
The Presidents then took control in overtime, outscoring the visiting Titans by a 13-5 margin. With the score tied at 73-73 with 2:16 to play in the extra session, the Presidents closed the game with a 9-1 run to secure the victory. Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) and Primo Zini (Morgantown, W.Va./Trinity Christian) combined to tally eight of the final nine points.
Westminster began the game by connecting on three of its first four shots as the Titans built a 7-0 lead in the game's first 90 seconds. The Presidents responded with a 7-2 spurt out of a time out with baskets from Jonathan DeVito(Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and Okikiola Agbale (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler), as well as a triple from Mitchell.
Westminster's Isaac Stamatiades responded with a seven-point run by himself on three consecutive trips down the floor to extend the Titans' lead to 16-7 with 12:16 to play in the first half.
The game swung back towards the Presidents with W&J reeling off eight in a row that included another three from Mitchell and a three-point play by Zini.
After Westminster's Anthony Ritter and Blue exchanged three pointers, Adam Alexander (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) gave the Presidents their first lead at 20-19 with a driving layup with 8:32 to play in the first half.
After a pair of free throws by Westminster tied the game at 24 with 5:54 left, W&J outscored Westminster 11-5 over the next five minutes to take a 35-29 lead. A late three by Stamatiades narrow the W&J lead to three points at the halftime break.
W&J seemed poised to run away with the game early in the second half, using a 12-4 run to build its largest lead of the night at 11. A three-point play by Alexander Skowron (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) capped the surge, giving W&J a 47-36 lead at the 16:05 mark.
However, the Titans stormed back, as the visitors used a 23-6 surge to take a 59-53 lead with 6:58 to play. A pair of free throws by Dylan O'Hara extended the Westminster lead to 69-60 with 2:17 remaining. The Presidents outscored Titans by a 22-5 margin over the final 7:17 of play, which included the five-minute overtime session.
Five Presidents scored in double figures, as Seemann led the way with a team-high 17 markers. DeVito recorded 12 points and five assists while Mitchell added 11 points. Zini finished with 10 points while Skowron nearly registered a double-double, as the sophomore finished with 10 points and nine boards.
Stamatiades finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Titans.
The win improves W&J to 6-6 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play and 11-10 overall. Third place Westminster drops to 7-5 in league action and 12-9 overall.
W&J travels to Thiel College for a league tilt with the Tomcats on Saturday, Feb. 8. Start time is scheduled for 3 p.m.