LEXINGTON, Va. -- Virginia Wesleyan took a 40-38 lead with 13:54 remaining in the game and never trailed again in defeating Washington and Lee, 59-54, in ODAC men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Warner Center.

W&L (3-13, 2-8) led 31-28 at the break, but the Marlins' 9-0 run gave them an eight-point lead (46-38) with 10:55 remaining in the game. VWC extended its advantage to 55-44 with 5:34 remaining before the Generals mounted a charge late. A three-pointer by freshman guard Chris Halkitis (New Port Richey, Fla./Ridgewood) cut the Marlins' lead to 57-54 with 1:52 left. However, W&L would miss two layups in the final minute and a pair of free throws by freshman forward Brandon Adair (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) iced the game for Virginia Wesleyan.

W&L was led by Halkitis, who tallied a game-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from behind the three-point arc. Sophomore forward David Will (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) notched 14 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard Mike Stuart (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier) added 10 points.

The Marlins (13-3, 7-3) were led by Adair, who scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Junior forward Peter Warren (Winchester, Va./Handley) and sophomore guard Marques Fitch (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) added 12 points each.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Sunday as it hosts fourth-ranked Randolph-Macon for a 3:00 pm contest.

-- GENERALS --