WASHINGTON, Pa. – Freshman guard Brandon Jakiela (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) scored a team-high 19 points off the bench to help guide the Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team to a 70-69 victory over visiting Chatham in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium Wednesday evening.

The win improved the Presidents to 4-0 in PAC play and 5-1 overall. The loss drops the Cougars to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in conference. The matchup was the first between the two teams since last season's PAC Tournament Championship game.

Bench scoring was once again a key for the Presidents, who outpaced the Cougars by a 36-13 margin.
 
Jakiela converted 8-of-15 field goal attempts, which included a pair of three-pointers in the win. The 19 points are a season-best for the rookie, who also added six rebounds and committed no turnovers in 22 minutes.

Fellow freshman Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) finished with 15 points and a team-best eight rebounds off the bench. Sophomore guard Michael Bigley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) added 11 points to score in double figures.

W&J earned the victory despite converted 3-of-16 three-point attempts (18.8 percent) and just 13-of-28 free throws (46.4 percent).

The Presidents built an early eight-point lead when Jakiela converted a jumper to make it 12-4 at the 14:33 mark. Later in the first half, a triple by Jakiela stretched the W&J lead to 17-7 with 8:55 remaining before halftime.

W&J led by eight points after a three-point play by junior Beckett Connelly (Beaver, Pa./Beaver). That gave the Presidents a 25-17 edge at the 4:20 mark. Chatham would work its way back into the game by halftime, as the Cougars used a 9-4 run to trim the W&J lead to 29-26 at the break.

The second half was back and forth for seven minutes before a layup by Jakiela extended the W&J lead to 50-39 at the 13-minute mark. The lead reached its largest at 13 when Jakiela converted another field goal with 11:33 to play to make it 57-44.

Chatham worked its way back from there. The Cougars clawed within five (60-55) on a jumper by Simon Boyer. Down the stretch, Boyer hit a triple with 2:17 to play to make it a one-possession game. W&J maintained its lead despite some struggles down the stretch. After a jumper by Boyer made it 70-69 with 49 seconds to play, neither team scored again. W&J missed four free throws down the stretch but Boyer's game-winning shot attempt came up short at the buzzer.
 
Aside from the three Presidents who scored in double figures, Connelly added nine points and junior Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) chipped in eight points and six rebounds. 

Chatham was led by a strong effort from Boyer, who finished with a game-high 24 points. Nick Bomar added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Cougars.

W&J hosts Saint Vincent for another league tilt on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tip off at Salvitti Gymnasium is scheduled for 3 p.m.