WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Down a pair of starters the Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team did what they needed to do to secure a 100-93 overtime victory over the visiting Saint Vincent Bearcats Saturday afternoon in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. 

The win is the fifth straight for the Presidents, who improve to 7-1 overall and remain perfect in PAC play at 5-0. The Bearcats fell to 3-2 in conference play and 6-2 overall despite a game-high 27 points from Tayler McNeal. 

Just as they have done throughout the early-season slate, W&J relied on its depth and full-court pressure to turn the tide in the victory. The Presidents, who were without Kyran Mitchell and Nick Gearhart, racked up 45 bench points and forced 27 turnovers on Saturday. W&J also used efficiency on the offensive end to corral the victory. The Presidents connected on 20 of 36 shots in the first half (55.6 percent) and 17-of-30 shots (56.6 percent) in the second half. W&J made all four of its field goal attempts in overtime. 

Four Presidents scored in double figures. Leading the way was freshman Brandon Jakiela (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) turned in another strong effort with 19 points off the bench. Fellow freshman Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) registered 17 points in a his first collegiate start and played a season-high 36 minutes. Sophomore Michael Bigley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) finished with 13 points and a season-high eight assists. Junior J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.Va./University) overcame a slow start to finish with 12 points, including a pair of clutch three-point field goals in crunch time. 

Junior Beckett Connelly (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) and freshman Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) recorded nine points apiece as each went 4-for-5 from the field. Junior Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. 

Following an opening basket by W&J, the visiting Bearcats built an early seven-point lead (11-4) just four-plus minutes into the game. The Bearcats continued to maintain the advantage for the vast majority of the first half. However, back-to-back baskets by Connelly and Acosta brought W&J within three points at 25-22 with 6:53 to go in the first half. W&J regained the lead late in the first half when Mazza drained a triple and Acosta followed with a layup to make it 39-38 Presidents. Saint Vincent used a late basket by Jaden Gales to enter halftime up by a 44-43 margin. 

W&J ripped off an 9-2 run to open the second half. Connelly drained a triple and added a layup as W&J took a 52-46 lead at the 16:48 mark. A little later, freshman Ryan McCort (Saint Clairsville, Ohio/Saint Clairsville) knocked down a triple and a few minutes later Jakiela stretched the lead into double figures with a jumper that made it 65-54 Presidents. 

W&J built its lead to as many as 14 points on multiple occasions, the last of which came when Jakiela finished a jumper in the paint to make it 80-66 with 4:55 remaining. However, Saint Vincent closed the second half on an 18-4 run, with McNeal sinking three free throws with .2 seconds left to tie the game at 84 and send it into overtime. The Presidents showed their grit in overtime and finished off the victory with a 10-3 run that closed the game. 

The Presidents held advantage in bench points (45-16), points in the paint (68-58) and points off of turnovers (33-18). The Bearcats held a decided 50-35 advantage in rebounding.

The win helped W&J complete a doubleheader sweep Saturday, as the women's team picked up a 66-51 victory earlier in the day. Both programs were honored at halftime of the respective games with a special ring ceremony to honor their 2021-22 PAC Championships.