LEXINGTON, Va. -- Washington and Lee garnered its first win of the 2005-06 season with a 98-92 victory over Guilford in ODAC men's basketball action on Wednesday evening at the Warner Center.
The Generals (1-8, 1-3) shot 52.0 percent from the floor in the first half en route to a 42-27 halftime advantage. W&L pushed its lead out to as many as 27 points (67-40) on a three-point play by sophomore forward Greg Bienemann (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) with 12:24 remaining in the game.
Guilford (4-3, 2-1) slowly chipped away at the lead, cutting the Generals' lead to just one point (84-83) on a three-point play by junior guard Jordan Snipes (Siler City, N.C./Jordan-Mathews) with 2:45 remaining in the game. However, the Quakers would not take the lead down the stretch as W&L nailed 10-of-12 free throws in the final 2:07 of the game to claim the victory.
W&L shot 58.5 percent from the field in the game, including 64.3 percent (18-28) in the second half. The Generals also drilled 34-of-41 (.829) free throws in scoring their most points in a game since a 100-79 win over Eastern Mennonite in 1995.
Bienemann paced five Generals in double figures with a career-high 33 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor. Freshman forward Ben Heller (Houston, Texas/Lamar) also set a career-high with 15 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard John Mumper (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) tallied 12 points. Sophomore forward Femi Kusimo (Charleston, W.Va./Charleston Catholic) had a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and freshman guard Isaiah Goodman (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) chipped in 11 points as well.
Guilford, who shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the second half en route to 65 points after the break, was led by junior guard L.T. Lockett's (Fairburn, Ga./Sandy Creek) 20 points and five steals. Sophomore center Ben Strong (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) notched 18 points and six rebounds, while Snipes contributed 12 points. Sophomore guard Caleb Kimbrough (Carrboro, N.C./Chapel Hill) added 11 points and four assists.
Washington and Lee will return to action on Sat., Jan. 7 as it hosts Roanoke for a 7:00 pm contest.
-- GENERALS --
