NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—The Mount Union men's basketball team concluded its season with a heartbreaking 82-77 loss to Washington and Jefferson in the First Round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship on Friday at the Freeman Center, hosted by Christopher Newport.

Junior Elijah Farrington (Massillon / Massillon Washington) paced the Raiders with his 11th double-double of the season, recording a game-high 21 points and team-high 10 rebounds while dishing out five assists. Senior Kevin Moore (Youngstown / Campbell Memorial) added 14 points and grabbed two steals. Off the bench, freshman Cam Weekley (Massillon / Massillon Jackson) added 11 points, while junior Shaun Vaden (Cleveland / Cornerstone Christian) tallied eight points, seven rebounds, and a team-high six blocked shots—adding to his school record for blocks in a season.

For the Presidents, Michael Plasko led the way with 17 points and four steals. Nathan Plotner had six blocks of his own, adding a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Mount Union established an early rhythm, building their largest lead of the game at eight points (24-16) with 8:37 remaining in the first half. However, Wash. & Jeff. mounted a comeback, closing the half on a run to take a 38-32 advantage.

The final minutes were a back-and-forth battle, contributing to the game's seven total lead changes and five ties. Sophomore Chance Casenhiser (Uniontown / Lake) put the Raiders ahead 77-76 with a layup with 50 seconds remaining. On W&J's ensuing possession with just 30 seconds left on the clock, Matt Seidl made a three-pointer off an offensive rebound after his first shot was blocked by Moore to put the Presidents up 79-77. The Raiders couldn't find the equalizer on their final possessions, and W&J sealed the 82-77 victory.

Mount Union shot 43.9% (25-57) from the floor and was nearly perfect from the free-throw line, hitting 22 of 24 attempts (91.7%).

The Presidents managed to capitalize on Mount Union's 19 turnovers, turning them into 16 points.

Mount Union, under the guidance of 15th-year head coach Mike Fuline, finished the season 23-4. This was Mount Union's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, including the fourth of the last six seasons.