A pair of free throws from Washington and Jefferson College's Alex Acosta with 22 seconds left proved to be the difference in a 70-69 loss to the Presidents for the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team in its opening game of the Great Lakes Invitational at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium in Washington. Pennsylvania on Friday night.

The loss was the second-straight setback for the Spartans, who fell to 3-2 overall. Washington and Jefferson improved to 4-2 following the victory.

Stats and Standouts

• Sophomore guard Matthew Ellis scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the second half of the game, including a go-ahead layup with 71 seconds left in the contest, but an attempt to win the game with a three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the back of the rim. He shot six-of-11 in the game, including one-of-four from three-point range, and added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

• First-year forward Alex Vincent and first-year guard Shyam Patel each finished with 14 points. Patel added eight rebounds in the game, while Vincent collected five boards.

• Senior forward Andrew Fox finished with a double-double, matching his Spartan career high with 12 points and his overall career high with 12 rebounds. He also had two blocks in the contest.

• The Spartans finished the game with a +23 rebound margin and outscored Washington & Jefferson 22-6 in second-chance points.

First Half

• The two teams played a tight game throughout the first half with six ties and eight lead changes, and ended the first stanza even at 36-36.

• CWRU made 38.2% (13-34) of its shots during the opening frame but struggled from long range, making just three-of-15 (20.0%) of its three-point attempts. However, the Spartans outrebounded the Presidents 30-13 during the period and held a 10-0 edge in second-chance points.

• Fox led the team over the first 20 minutes with eight points and six rebounds.

• The Spartans trailed by five, 28-23, with 5:58 left in the first half, but battled back to tie the game at 31-31 on a layup by Fox with 3:01 to play, and first-year guard Anestis Hadjistamoulou gave CWRU a lead with a three on the next possession.

• Washington & Jefferson answered with five-straight points, but Fox hit a layup with 55 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 36 apiece going into halftime.

Second Half

• Behind an 8-0 run early in the second half, the Presidents built a game-high 50-42 lead with 14:24 on the clock.

• CWRU remained behind for the next eight and a half minutes of play. Down 59-54 with 7:30 to go, the Spartans scored seven unanswered points, taking a 61-59 lead on a three by Ellis.

• The game remained close, but Ellis hit a layup and Vincent later converted a pair of free throws to push the CWRU lead to a game-high four points, 67-63, with 2:42 left.

• A quick 5-0 run by Washington & Jefferson gave the Presidents the lead back, 68-67, with 1:28 to go in the game.

• Ellis quickly responded with a layup on the team's next possession to put the Spartans back ahead.

• The score remained the same until the 22-second mark when Acosta was fouled after collecting a defensive rebound. With the Presidents in the bonus, Acosta converted both ends of the one-and-one, giving Washington and Jefferson a one-point advantage. CWRU had one last chance to tie, but a long three at the buzzer from Ellis drew iron, and the Presidents came away with the win.

Spartan Notes

• The Spartans fell to 20-15 all-time against Washington and Jefferson. Friday's game was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2010-11 campaign.

• Fox's double-double on Saturday was the second of his Spartan career and his first of the 2025-26 campaign.

• The Spartans' +23 rebound margin matched their largest of the season. It was the fourth time through five games this year that the Spartans have outrebounded their opponent by a double-digit margin.

Up Next

The Spartans will wrap-up play at the Great Lakes Invitational on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. against Trinity University (3-1), which received a vote in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25, at the Salvitti Family Gymnasium in Washington, Pennsylvania.