Bethany’s Matt Drahos hit a three-pointer midway through the first half to give the Bison (13-3, 1-1 PAC) a 26-16 lead, but the Presidents rolled off 14 of the next 17 points to assume a 30-29 advantage.
Mike Drahos knocked down a jumper and James Wallace made 1-of-2 free throws with 36 seconds remaining in the half as the Bison took a 32-30 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Presidents jumped out of the locker room to take a 39-35 lead, but that was as big of a lead as either team would have for the rest of the game. The second half featured 14 lead changes.
Bethany staked claim to a 61-58 lead after a Matt Drahos lay-up with 2:42 remaining, but W&J tied the game (62-62) on a lay-up by sophomore forward Matt Vorndran (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) a minute later.
Wallace hit a runner in the lane 16 seconds later for a 64-62 BC lead, but Koch answered to tie the game with 18 seconds left for the Presidents.
Matt Drahos missed a short jumper on the next Bethany possession and Koch rebounded and was fouled. His free throws proved to be the difference after Jim Deep’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was long.
Vorndran led the Presidents (4-12, 1-1 PAC) with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Koch fired in 14 points and grabbed six boards. Washington & Jefferson shot 43 percent (24-of-56) and held a 33-28 rebounding edge.
Mike Drahos led all players with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Wallace chipped in with 12 points and four boards. The Bison were limited to 39 percent (17-of-44) shooting.
W&J travels to Grove City on Saturday for a 3:00 pm conference game.