On Friday, the Presidents dropped a 96-68 decision to Carnegie Mellon and then were edged by Allegheny, 78-77, on Saturday evening.
In the loss to the Gators (1-1), junior guard Jon Koch (New Kensington, Pa./Plum) paced the Presidents with 23 points and nine rebounds. The game featured 15 lead changes and 14 ties.
W&J (0-2) held a 40-38 halftime lead and a 73-68 advantage with 4:21 remaining after a jumper by junior forward Matt Vorndran (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll).
Allegheny then rallied to take the lead after a pair of Casey McCloskey free throws with 1:40 left to play. Matt Majzlik drained two foul shots with 27 seconds remaining to up the lead to 78-75.
The Presidents’ last-ditch three-point attempt rolled in and out and Vorndran’s tip-in at the buzzer ended the game.
Koch made 9-of-15 shots from the field in 35 minutes of action. Junior guard Brandon Studer (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley) chipped in with 16 points and three assists, while Vorndran added 15 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Majzlik poured in a game-high 29 points for Allegheny. The Gators shot 48 percent (29-of-60) from the field, but were out-rebounded by a 39-37 margin.
On Friday, Carnegie Mellon rolled out to a 46-27 halftime lead and never looked back en route to the 38-point triumph. Studer had a team-high 14 points, while Koch added 12. Freshman center Josip Lucic-Jozak (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) netted 11 points and grabbed four boards.
Washington & Jefferson opens its home schedule on Tuesday at 7:00 pm by hosting Ohio Wesleyan.