LEXINGTON, Va. -- Washington and Lee used a 17-5 run midway through the second half to secure a 64-46 victory over Kalamazoo College in the opening game of the W&L Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon at the Warner Center.
The game was tied 23-23 at the break, but the Generals (6-3) took a 30-27 lead on a three-pointer by junior forward Zac White (Baltimore, Md./Park School) with 15:26 to go and never looked back in claiming the win.
W&L maintained a slim 35-31 advantage at the 11:45 mark, but used the aforementioned run to assume a commanding 52-36 lead with 5:52 left in the game.
Senior guard Isaiah Goodman (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) led the Generals with 15 points in just 23 minutes of action, while senior center Ben Heller (Houston, Texas./Lamar) notched 10 points in 16 minutes. Junior forward Ben Goetsch (Timonium, Md./Gilman) tallied eight points and nine rebounds, while first-year guard Will Keirle (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) chipped in eight points as well.
Kalamazoo (3-6) was led by sophomore forward Alex Lapka (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) and sophomore guard A.J. Williams (Indianapolis, Ind./University), who registered nine points each. Junior guard Verelle Kirkwood (Troy, Mich./Berkley) added eight points and eight boards.
Washington and Lee will face Connecticut College in Saturday's championship that is slated to begin at 4:00 pm. The Camels defeated Skidmore in Friday's other contest by a score of 64-57. Skidmore will play Kalamazoo in the consolation contest on Saturday at 2:00 pm.
In the second game, Connecticut College (6-3) led 34-29 at the break, but surged on a 15-2 run over the opening 7:57 of the second half to post a 49-31 lead with 12:03 remaining. The Thoroughbreds (5-4) used a 15-5 run of their own to close to within 59-55 with 52 seconds left, but could get no closer as the Camels held on for the win.
First-year forward Demetrius Porter (Virginia Beach, Va./Salisbury) led Conn College with 18 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Shavar Bernier (Dover, N.H./Bridgton Academy) notched 18 points and six boards. Senior guard Billy Karis (Potsdam, N.Y./Worcester) registered 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Skidmore was paced by junior forward Jon Douglas (Shutesbury, Mass./Amherst Regional), who tallied 16 points. Junior center Bobby Langford (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) chipped in 12 points and six rebounds.
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