WASHINGTON, Pa. – Chatham Men's Basketball (3-3, 0-1 PAC) dropped their opening game of conference play 86-71 on Wednesday night at Washington & Jefferson (6-2, 1-0) in a rematch of the 2024-25 PAC Championship game.
 
Matthew Carte scored a game-high 21 points on 7-14 shooting for the Presidents. Quinton Burlenski netted 15 points with a game-high 3 assists. Cameron Rowell had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench for W&J.
 
Senior Jake TenBerge was the Cougars' leading scorer with 20 points on 7-18 from the field including 3-6 from beyond the arc, and completed his double-double with 11 rebounds. Senior Lovenson Xavier also posted a double-double, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Diaun Pinkett scored 10 points while shooting 3-7 from three-point range and added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Junior Drew Vizenor netted 11 points with 2 steals for Chatham.
 
A TenBerge three-pointer made the score 13-12 Presidents seven minutes into the contest, but a 7-0 run by W&J gave them an 8-point lead. The Cougars struggled to shoot the ball in the first half and found themselves trailing 29-19 with five minutes left until the break. Another TenBerge triple got Chatham within five, but a layup by the Presidents in the final seconds of the half put them up by 9.
 
A Pinkett three-pointer followed by a Sam Norfleet IV layup pulled the Cougars to within 47-41 five minutes into the second half, but W&J immediately responded with a 14-3 scoring run. TenBerge would be the only Chatham player to score over the next six minutes of play amidst an 18-8 Presidents' outburst. Another Pinkett bucket from distance made the score 74-60 with five minutes left on the clock, but W&J would stay ahead for the 15-point victory.
 
The Presidents shot 60% in the second half and 49.2% for the game, while the Cougars made just 31.3% of their attempts in the first half and 36.8% across the contest.
 
Men's Basketball will look to bounce back on Friday against Bucks County Community College. Tip-off at the Athletic and Fitness Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.