GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Four Presidents players scored in double figures as the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team earned an 81-73 win over the host Thiel Tomcats in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Beeghly Gymnasium. The win keeps W&J within a half game of first place Chatham (11-1).

The win improves W&J to 16-4 overall and 11-2 in PAC play. The loss drops Thiel to 3-15 overall and 2-10 in the league. W&J used strong shooting to claim the victory, as the Red and Black converted 29-of-56 field goal attempts (51.8 percent) in the game. The Presidents shot better than 50 percent in each half. 

Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) and Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) finished with 16 points apiece in the victory. J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.Va./University) drained a trio of three-point field goals in a 14-point effort. Okikiola Agbale (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) provided 12 points and a team-high six rebounds off the bench. Agbale was 8-of-12 at the free throw line in the contest. 

W&J shook off a slow start and regrouped after facing deficits of 6-0 and 15-8 in the early stages of the game. The Presidents used a 12-0 run to surge into a 20-15 lead on a three-point field goal by Mazza at the 8:55 mark. The Tomcats were able to even the score three ties down the stretch of the first half. However, the Presidents pulled ahead by as many as nine points (38-29) when Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) converted a layup at the 2:47 mark. W&J carried a 41-35 advantage into halftime. 

A three-point field goal by Mazza swelled the lead to double digits, as the Red and Black had a 51-41 edge with 13:12 to play. A three-point play by Beni Lavodrama cut the Thiel deficit to 61-59 with 7:27 left. That was as close as the Tomcats could get though. Gearhart sank a three-point field goal to give W&J a 74-66 lead with just 3:28 to play. 

A free throw by Agbale coupled with a layup by Gearhart in the final minutes solidified the victory for the Presidents. 

Each team scored 44 points in the paint. Thiel held a 22-8 edge in second chance points. W&J sank 5-of-12 three-point field goals while Thiel connected on just 2-of-11 attempts from distance. The two teams combined for 43 turnovers. 

W&J hosts Waynesburg for another key PAC contest on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip-off.