LEXINGTON, Va. -- Junior forward Josh LaPorte (Staunton, Va./Riverheads) tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Roanoke to a 70-64 victory over Washington and Lee in ODAC men's basketball action on Saturday evening at the Warner Center.
The game was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than eight points for the entire contest. The Maroons (10-8, 6-5) held a slim 34-33 lead at halftime, and the Generals only lead of the second half came on the opening basket of the final 20 minutes for a 35-34 advantage.
Roanoke stretched out to a 59-51 lead with 7:20 remaining in the game, but W&L fought back to slice it to a 65-64 game with 1:01 remaining. However, the Maroons used nearly the entire shot clock on the next possession before sophomore guard Zach Milton (Christiansburg, Va./Eastern Montgomery) hit a layup with 31 seconds remaining for a 67-64 lead.
W&L (10-6, 5-5) missed a layup with 16 seconds remaining and Milton sunk 1-of-2 free throws to stretch the Maroons lead to 68-64. W&L sophomore guard Chris McHugh (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) missed a three-pointer with six seconds left and the Maroons added a breakaway layup with one second left for the final margin.
Washington and Lee was led by sophomore forward Kirk Jones (Maple Glenn, Pa./Germantown Academy), who scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. McHugh and sophomore guard Isaiah Goodman (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) chipped in 11 points each, while junior forward Femi Kusimo (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Charleston Catholic) added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior forward Greg Bienemann (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) was held to single digits for the first time all season, scoring nine points.
LaPorte's effort was supported by 12 points from junior guard A.J. Dowell (Salem, Va./Salem), 11 points from junior guard Ben Shrader (Tazewell, Va./Mercer Christian) and 10 points from sophomore center Curtis Peery (Salem, Va./Salem).
Washington and Lee returns to action on Wednesday as it hosts Guilford for a 7:00 pm contest.
-- GENERALS --
