Koch, who is 22 points shy of scoring his 1,000th career point, made 10-of-18 shots from the field and all seven of his free throw attempts. He also added five rebounds and three assists.
The Presidents ran out to a 20-12 lead after 10 minutes of play behind three baskets from sophomore center Tony Lewis (Mayfield Hts., Ohio/Orange). The lead increased to 11 points (35-24) with 1:35 left in the half after junior forward Kevin Bringman’s (Fairview Park, Ohio/St. Edward’s) bucket, but the Redhawks trimmed the gap to 35-29 at halftime.
Washington & Jefferson held the lead until the 4:55 mark when La Roche assumed a 56-55 advantage after a lay-up by sophomore guard Frank Davis (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls).
Junior guard Stacy Grady (Wilmington, Del./A.I. Dupont) put the Redhawks ahead, 61-59, with 1:54 on the clock; however, Koch’s three-point play gave the Presidents the lead for good.
La Roche sophomore forward Nate Davis (New Kensington, Pa./Cheswick Catholic) made 1-of-2 free throws with 47 seconds remaining to make it a 63-62 game and the Redhawks got the ball back after a W&J turnover, but Grady’s running jumper with four seconds left fell off the rim and the Presidents hung on for the win.
Lewis was the only other President in double figures as he dropped in 11 points and grabbed seven boards. Junior guard Brandon Studer (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley) chipped in with nine points, while junior forward Matt Vorndran (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) posted six points and six rebounds.
W&J (1-7) held a 36-19 edge on the glass and shot 47 percent (24-of-51).
Grady paced La Roche (2-6) with 19 points and six rebounds. The Redhawks shot 43 percent (19-of-44), including 10 three-pointers.
Washington & Jefferson returns to action on December 28th as it will take on Pacific Lutheran in the first round of the Cactus Jam Classic in Tempe, Ariz., at 3:00 pm EST. W&J will play at 3:00 pm EST in all three days (Dec. 28-30) of the tournament.