WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Sophomore forward Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga. / North Cobb) recorded a game-high 25 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds and senior guard Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon) tallied 18 points and seven rebounds as the Washington and Jefferson men's basketball team claimed a 82-70 victory over the visiting Chatham Cougars Saturday in the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.
 
The win is the second straight for the Presidents who move to 4-13 overall and 3-9 in conference play. A second-straight loss drops the third-place Cougars to 10-8 overall and 8-5 in PAC play. 
 
Four players finished with double figures in the scoring column. Acosta led the way with another strong effort. One of the PAC's top players scored 20+ points for the seventh time this season. Acosta has scored 20 or more in four out of the past five games.Gearhart followed with 18 points, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. Gearhart also made both of his attempts from beyond the arc and converted 8-of-11 free throw attempts.
 
Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills) added 13 markers on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Matthew Carte (Ravenswood, W.Va. / Ravenswood) contributed 12 points to the Presidents final tally.
 
W&J shot 48.39 percent in the first half (15-31) from the field in the first half to build a 39-31 lead over the Cougars who shot 26.32 percent (10-38). Sophomore Ryan McCort (Saint Clairsville, Ohio / Saint Clairsville) would sink a three-pointer that would set the score at 54-41 with 12:19 to go. The 13-point lead would be the largest that the Presidents would hold during the contest.

Chatham would slowly start to chip away until a good jumper by Geoffrey Helm would bring the Cougars back within three points at the 8:36 mark. However, over the next six minutes and 13 seconds, the Presidents would go on a scoring run of 18-9 to bump the score up to 77-65 with 2:23 remaining in the game. That spurt helped the Presidents put away the Cougars and secure a second-straight league win. 
 
The atmosphere in Salvitti Family Gymnasium was wired when the men closed out the win as W&J hosted its annual Alumni Day. During halftime, W&J recognized the 1993-94 team that advanced to the Elite 8 Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

W&J limited Chatham to 35.2 percent from the field. The Cougars made just seven-of-29 three-point attempts (24.1 percent) during the contest. 
 
W&J hosts Waynesburg on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Start time for is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium.